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A BLOG IN MINIATURE


3D PRINTING AND MINIATURE HOBBYING


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April 16, 2024

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SALUTE 2024 PART 2 – HIGHLIGHTS!

So as promised here are my highlights from the show! The games and model ranges
that really caught my eye from the day! These are all unsponsored links and
references, this is all 100% just what I found interesting and neat.

World of Twilight

Main Website
Webstore
Kickstarter Profile – I recommend giving them a follow. They appear to do
semi-regular Kickstarter campaigns to expand the model range.
Facebook Fan Community
Paintwork by Joe Karame

World of Twilight is the creation of Mike Thorp, who has been working for
decades on the art, lore, designs and sculpting of this charming range of
models. I’ve never heard of them before Salute and this is one of those ranges
that if I’d seen them purely online I might just have passed on them being an
interest. Seeing the models in person was really rewarding and they are
fantastic sculpts. They cast in both metals (smaller models) and resin for the
larger sculpts.
Myself I picked up a Kitahii from their stall and honestly the metal casting is
really good on this, very little clean-up required at all. Honestly I wish I’d
picked up a few more models from their stall. There’s a lot I like about these
fantasy designs in a setting that is not your orks-humans-elves typical affair.
Indeed there’s a charming feel of the 70-80s style of creature designs going on
here and I really enjoy that sense of more (esp these days) unique creativity.



Note only are there charming models, but there’s also a whole game that goes
with them. I did not try a demo of their game at Salute, but I will be glancing
through their rules and see if I can convince any locals to give the models and
game a go some time.

My Kitahii

As you can see I’ve done very little with the model thus far, no clean up nor
anything, just a bit of bluetack to hold it in the base. I think it really helps
show off just how good the casting quality is on this model. I’m very pleased
with it and I’m very sure that I’ll be collecting more of their models.

Pendraken – 10mm SCI-FI

Pendraken had a fun display with a range of their brand new for 2024 10mm sci-fi
models. Scattered about the display they also had a range of sci-fi historical
and fictional characters/models as well. A few even snuck into some of my
photos.
Pendraken make a LOT of metal models across a whole range of sci-fi, fantasy and
historical games. Whilst they were (that I saw) just showing off the brand new
sci-fi, they’ve a lot to offer and are well worth checking out.
I didn’t pick up any of their models this time around, but their metal castings
in the packs they had looked clean and very well cast. This would be a great
10mm range of models to get into if you want to field larger companies and
formations of tanks and troops on a battlefield in the far flung future!



Main Website
Facebook
Forums

Archon Studio

Way back when they ran their first Dungeons and Lasers Kickstarter I picked up
one of their plastic Xenodragons and was mightily impressed with the quality of
casting, clean up and basically everything! Indeed they had a full booth with
new models on show and models for sale and I took the opportunity to grab one of
their Ghost Dragon models!

Whilst I’ve not had reason to keep an eye on them for a while, they’ve been
steadily making more and more awesome models and terrain kits and it seems
they’ve a few new games in the works that are really looking great!

Heroes of Might and Magic

Kickstarter Link

Considering this made over 3million I think I’m probably late in telling you its
a thing, but it is and the models are very cool to see. These were done in their
pre-coloured option for the kickstarter campaign. I’ll be keeping an eye out as
there’s some singles in this that I’d really like to get my hands on, having
been a fan of the video games.

Rampart

A selection of their terrain and models from their Sci-fi series of models.
Whilst the big attraction is their modular terrain, the models also really
caught my eye and looked a lot of fun to put together and paint up.



Sythopian Wars

Sythropian Wars have been steadily growing over the last few years and were at
Salute showing off a bunch of their models from both their current range and
from a selection coming to a Kickstarter that they plan to launch later this
year to help fund their production.
These quirky, rather unique styled models are very creative and feel very fresh,
yet also like they harken back to the earlier days of sci-fi and some of the
more wacky creations that people came up with.
Another interesting thing was that not only are they looking to do physical
product, but they are also releasing their range through STLs as well. So if
you’ve a home printer you can buy their presupported models off their website
(link below) and print them at home right now. I suspect a few of them will
creep onto my printer in the semi-near future, though their new army “The Host”
is one that really caught my eye and will be appearing in their upcoming KS.
Their website also features stats for the upcoming KS, showing the new army and
additions to existing ones are getting good playtesting from fellow fans.



Main Website
Facebook
Upcoming Kickstarter – be good to follow them and see everything as soon as it
goes live.

Burrows & Badgers – Oathsworn

Big one here as they had not one but two great displays of their models, along
with a stall on site as well. BB is a range of models that I supported one of
their earlier kickstarters for a long while back. Charming models right out of
the styles of the 90s ear of cartoons where it seems every other show was some
kind of anthropomorphic animal. This is a fantasy line with a lot of skill and
quality sculpts and a lot of fun.

Their massive siege display is by far one of the more impressive displays I saw
on the day and its not even the style of game that their rules are designed for.
A quick skirmisher game where you build a force of characters, where every model
feels unique to tell a story of its own just from its sculpting, let alone once
you put your own spin on them with paint. Seeing them do a huge fantasy siege,
complete with their huge bear model charging at the walls, was a real treat.

I came across Burrows and Badgers a few years back in one of their Kickstarters,
they sculpt charming models anthropomorphic characters right out of the 90s
styles of cartoons. From tiny mice up to the huge bear you can see above. They
use metals for much of their range and resin for the larger models and they cast
very clean in both materials. Well worth checking them out if you want a few to
paint or to put together a crew for their game.

Like World of Twilight, they do a decent number of Kickstarters with a fast turn
around to help fund new moulds. So do check out their KS profile and give them a
follow to keep in the loop for upcoming releases.



Main Website
Webstore/Oathsworn Website
Kickstarter Profile

Bushido – GCTstudios

Bushido was the game that took most of my haul from the day, a 5 for the price
of 4 deal convincing me to jump on a whole host of Kitsune warrior models in a
mix of resin and metals (both with very good quality castings). It’s a name I’ve
heard before, but never shown that much interest in when seeing photos online.
This is another of those times where getting out and seeing the actual models at
a club or, in this case at a convention, really made a huge difference in my
level of appreciation and excitement for a model range.
I was not alone either, twice when I was browsing their stall I overheard others
gravitating toward the Kitsune range and it didn’t escape me that of the stock
they had, the Kitsune line was on of the more depleted by the end of the day.

Main Website
Facebook Community Group
Discord Invite

Epilogue

And so that was my day at Salute. There were many more stalls, outlets and games
on show than I took photos of or have been able to show off. It was a great show
and if you take nothing else away from my ramblings, then let it be my advice to
get out and see real models. The internet, high resolution photos, renders –
these are all great things; but I find it takes seeing real models in the hand
to really appreciate them. The internet just doesn’t create that same engaging
impression. Conventions are great for finding these creators, big and small, and
seeing their models first hand. Getting to handle them, chat to their creators
and even pick up a few to take home. I know this show found me with one new
skirmisher army and at least two or three model ranges that I’ll be dipping into
in the future.

My haul from the day, showing off the Burrows and Badgers Rule book; the
Dungeons and Lasers Ghost Dragon; a whole host of Bushido models; a small free
container from the welcome pack as well as 3 individual models; the event model;
a free warrior woman from Only Games (model by One Page Rules) and my Kitahii
from World of Twilight.


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April 14, 2024

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SALUTE 2024 PART 1: GAMES ON SHOW

Salute, London 2024 is over and I’ve returned from the trip! This was my first
time attending Salute and my first time out to a convention since the
pre-pandemic times. So for me this was a trip I really wanted to make to just
break the whole “hobby online” aspect of hobbying. To get out and see some
models, gamers and more in the flesh and see what’s out in the wider hobby world
of wargaming.

Salute was great fun and a joy to attend, well organised getting in was quick
and pain free. The numbers at the event felt good without being too
overwhelming. I did notice a fair bit of crowding around some of the more
popular stalls during the early part of the convention, but given an hour or two
and they cleared up for the most part. Stock levels were high and I certainly
saw a lot on offer from the start to the end of the day, so even if you only
turned up in the latter half of the day there was still a lot to see, do and
buy.

The only place that felt a little trickier was the photography competition
stands, which were crowded at all hours. The paintwork on show was awesome and
its no surprise to me that so many really wanted to get a look at the modelling
and painting work on show.

As I saw so much and took a good number of photos I’m splitting my summary into
two parts. Today is a general showcase of games I saw being played and tables
setup (or floor’s in one case!). Tomorrow I’ll be back with a follow-up which
shows my real highlights for the day; a few more game tables; a few new (to me)
games and model ranges and my haul from the day!

Note – as I was just attending for my own entertainment, I did try to grab
photos of the names/id of the different creators. However if I’ve made a mistake
or lost track, I apologise in advance.

Continental Wars Society – Baden Uprising 1849

One of the first displays you can see in the event and a great one showing
massed rank and file troops ready to do battle!

Retired Wargamers Reloaded – Hold until Revealed





Genderal d’Armee 2

I’ve lost track of who was playing this game, but it was running the Genderal
d’Armee 2 system.

South East Scotland Wargames Club – Valour and Fortitude Napoleonic Game



Cornwall Wargames Association – Gallands of Fowey – French VS Cornish Pirates
1457

This was one of the larger boards on display, with not just a full sea battle
but full coastal town as well. Lots of fun seeing an infantry based sea combat
game with some great model work on show for the various ships.



Battle of Saigon (Tet Jan 1968)

London Wargames Guild – What A Viking

Space 1889 – Cloudships – South London Warlords

This was one of the most entertaining displays for me as its all custom built
airships fighting it over over a red Martian setting. Really inspiring to see
this kind of work. This is a 6mm scale version of a game that the SWL’s did
before in 2005, which was a 25mm scale game. Honestly one of the stands that I
wish I’d swung around to take some more photos of.

Titan Owners Club – Full Scale Adeptus Titanticus

Biggest models on show for the day (besides the cosplayers) and a joy to see so
many Warlord models from Forgeworld being shown off along with multiple other
classes of titan. Speaking one of the owners/players and this is just one of
several events that the club runs throughout the year. Well worth looking them
up if you’re interested in these massive models and getting to have them see
table (or rather floor) time playing out matches!



That’s all for today, be sure to check back tomorrow when I’ll have Part 2 – the
Highlights of the Day!


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December 17, 2023

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HEALTH AND SAFETY TIPS FOR 3D PRINTING

NOTICE. I am not a medical professional. If you require proper medical advice
please seek it from a trained professional.

What I provide below are my own understandings of safety and safety equipment
regarding 3D SLA Printing and handling resins. These are provided not to shock
or scare people, but purely to help spread awareness so that we can all safely
enjoy this fantastic hobby.
3D Printing Resin is to be respected, not feared.

Note, the below applies to ALL 3D Printer resins, including
eco-friendly/eco-brand resins.

General safety advice

1) Resin in its uncured state is dangerous to your health. Do not use your bare
hands to handle resin if it is in its liquid form OR its semi-cured state
(released from the build plate, but not yet fully cured).
If you’re taking photos of your Ameralabs Town Print in its uncured state for
help with your exposure, you still have to wear your gloves.

2) Because curing only penetrates so far into a model, if you are going to make
extensive modification to a model after it is printed (eg
cutting/slicing/drilling), its advised to wear gloves and leave freshly exposed
resin in the sun/curing chamber to fully cure. If sanding or otherwise
generating a lot of fine particles then wear your face mask and work in a well
ventilated area (same as for any resin models).

3) Keep your resin workstation clear, clean and organised. Use paper
towels/microfibre cloths with a little IPA to wipe down surfaces and tools after
use.

One tip to look for silicon dog mats, which have a raised lip edge, as they are
an affordable way to give you a protected working surface to shield
table/worktop surfaces and to help contain any mild spillage.

4) Whilst your printer wants to be shielded from light, having good lighting in
your work area is important. A darkened out enclosure can keep your printer and
resin safe from the light (remember printer hoods are not perfect light
filters).

5) All disposable materials that come into contact with resin need to be exposed
to UV light prior to disposal.

6) When disposing of liquids which have come into contact with resin (eg IPA or
water) leave them exposed to sunlight to evaporate. With the resin residue
that’s left behind given a good exposure as well before being disposed of with
your regular waste.

7) Resin bottles might require specialist disposal, contact your local waste
management centre for advice. In general curing the interior of the bottle is
the minimum that you should be doing.

Personal Safety Gear advice:


HAND PROTECTION

To protect your hands the most common protective measure is to use disposable
nitrile gloves. These will protect the skin of your hands up to your wrist from
contact with the resin.

If you cannot use/obtain nitrile, then butyl disposable gloves work just as
well.

Resin reacts with the glove material and whilst nitrile has a good working life,
in general disposing them and using a fresh set each time is advised.
Thicker/heavier duty long term gloves are out there, but because the resin eats
into the material over time you can’t be sure at which point the glove is no
longer protecting you.

Do NOT use latex as the resin will eat into it at a very rapid rate. From
talking to others who have tried them, its only 30seconds or less.

If you want additional protection for your arm look for Long Cuff Disposable
Nitrile gloves.

Do shop around a little, some glove brands can be quite thin and 3D printing has
enough sharp edges that punchers can happen. If your glove becomes damaged and
torn, stop, remove, wash hands, place on fresh gloves, resume.



If you want to make a saving you can also search for “expired” gloves. These are
gloves that have gone over the time limit for their sterile status. They are
perfectly fine for 3D printing where we don’t have to worry about sterility.


EYE PROTECTION

Safety goggles are advised. These protect your eyes from stray bits of resin, it
only needs a tiny tiny bit to get onto your eye to cause problems. A drop
flicking off the build plate as you get a print off is a very common way to get
resin on your face and eyes.

Remember safety glasses/goggles cover the whole eye region, whilst most
corrective lens glasses only cover a small portion and material can easily get
behind them. Not to mention safety glasses protect your vision glasses too so
they won’t need cleaning as often to get resin off.

One tip is to get UV safety goggles/glasses. These will give you not only
physical eye protection, but UV protection as well when working with your curing
setup.


AIRWAY PROTECTION

Even if your resin printer is vented outside; even if you’ve got carbon air
filters (Elegoo sell a nice pair of them that work well); even if you’ve got low
odour resin – you will still have resin particles in the air. You can take all
the mentioned precautions to reduce build up in the work environment, however
you still need a mask which covers both your mouth and nose. The mask can be of
any brand, but make sure that it filters “Organic Particles”. Also make sure
that its fitted correctly and forms a good seal around your face.
If possible get the kind that have replaceable air filters, that way your long
term costs are kept down.


FULL FACE PROTECTION

A full face mask that covers your mouth and nose for breathing and provides a
full face shield is a good solid purchase. This gives you additional protection
from resin specks and flicks to your whole face, not just your eyes. It means
you get three layers of protection instantly

a) Airways
b) Eyes
c) Face skin

This can be a more serious cost, however most have replaceable air filters, so
its a one time high cost and then long term low cost to replace air filters
(which you’d have to do with even a half face mask that just covers your mouth
and nose).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


IF YOU BECOME EXPOSED TO RESIN


SKIN

If your skin becomes exposed to liquid or semi-cured resin, STOP all activities
and wash any affected areas with soap and water. You may experience some mild
rash/itching in the affected area.


EYES

If you get resin into your eye the general advice is to carefully flush your eye
with water and then seek medical attention. Remembering to take the resin bottle
with you to the medical centre.
Note as resin bottles can sometimes get a little sticky with part cured resin on
the surface, a clear sealable plastic bag is good to have to hand to place the
bottle into when transporting.


CLOTHING

If your clothing comes into contact with wet resin, STOP all activities and
remove the contaminated clothing. It needs to be washed prior to wearing again.
Note that resin will work through fabrics so even if its only on the surface, it
will seep in and eventually reach your skin, which as noted in an example below,
can have very serious health impacts.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Actual stories

1) Chemical burns on skin



> Resin Safety – A potentially hazardous hobby

2) Chemical burn on the eyes.







In this story an update by the original poster, some 4-5 months after the
original post, reads as follows:

“It’s been what 4 to 5 months now? My right eye is pretty much completely
recovered I still have random blurring and insane dryness in my left eye, I have
light sensitivity now and reduced vision at night.”

SUMMARY:

In both stories a major contributing factor in the degree of injury was that
neither individual sought professional medical advice/attention directly after
exposure to resin.

Please remember that I wrote this to inform and spread awareness. To respect the
resin that we work with, not to fear it. Resin printing can be very safe and is
a fantastic hobby, but we all have to respect the dangers for what they are and
take proper precautions and safety measures to reduce the chances of injury.

I am NOT a doctor nor medical professional. If you want professional advice
please consult a qualified doctor.

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RESIN 3D PRINTING AND TEMPERATURE

I’m writing this after having my own 3D printing adventures with regard to
temperature since it can throw up a lot of issues for some people and yet
because a lot of people print in fairly warm houses or live in warm countries,
its not something as many people are aware of when problem solving 3D printing
issues. In addition whilst the solution might appear simple, it isn’t always
quite that easy.

First up please note that any values of temperature I state in this are only
rough values. Specific resins might vary, but what I say below should be a good
general standard for most of the common home 3D printing resins. If you want
more specific info contact the manufacturer of the resin that you’re using.



Resin, in its liquid and part cured state, is affected by its temperature and is
very reactive to any changes in its temperature. Once fully cured its far more
stable, however until that stage the temperature is a very critical property to
mange for 3D printing.

In general the ideal minimum printing temperature is 20 Degrees Centigrade/68
Fahrenheit. Any lower and you start to get increasing problems, warmer
environments can greatly benefit 3D printing, up to around a value of 35 Degrees
Centigrade/95 Fahrenheit. This upper value is one I’m less sure of and might
vary more so than the lower limit of 20. In practical terms I tend to treat
30C/86F as a good upper value to print at.

At temperatures below 20C/68F the chance of a failed print is greater since the
resin becomes increasingly viscous. When the resin flows less readily it means
that it might not flow back under the build plate fully when its lifted between
layers. It also becomes increasingly sticky when in its part cured state, making
it stick to the FEP more readily than normal.

This can lead to failures where you might get the base/burn layers of your print
forming (since they also tend to generate more warmth from the increased
reaction time) but then have a whole layer appear to fail when your support
columns start to print. Almost as if you had a corrupt file on your USB. Leaving
you with a raft on your build plate and a flat expanse of resin on the build
plate. Almost as if you’d had a serious underexposure issue. However something
like the Ameralabs Town, or other calibration prints, might well print fine and
not show any apparent underexposure issues.

If you are just a little shy of 20C/68F by a degree or so you can get around
this by:

1) Pre-warming the resin in the bottle prior to shaking and pouring into the
VAT. This ensures that the resin begins the process warmer, with a view that the
internal heat generated by the curing reaction, will help sustain the resins
temperature for the duration of the print.

2) Insulate the printer, so that any heat from pre-warming and the curing
reaction, is preserved.

3) Raise the lift height of the build plate in the printer settings. This gives
the resin just a little more room and time to flow back under properly.

If you are further off 20C/68F at the time of printing, or the ambient
temperature of the printing environment is going to drop way below during the
print (eg starting a long print which will be completed overnight), then you
have to start looking at heating the printer environment up. Broadly speaking
this will likely happen in one of two ways

1) Heating the room the printer is within. This in general works well no matter
what kind of heat source you use. So long as it has a thermostat to ensure that
the temperature remains at a good value for printing it should work fine. The
natural rise and fall of a room level of heating is unlikely to cause any
adverse reaction of the printer to the changing temperatures, so long as they
remain at or above 20C/68F. For many people this might not be affordable or
practical if you’ve just the one printer for a hobby.

2) Heating the printer/insulated enclosure, alone. This has the benefit of
costing far less because now you’re heating a much smaller area rather than an
entire room. However resin is very reactive to heat and changes in temperature
of such a small enclosed space can cause their own issues and that’s what we are
now going to look at.



Below you can see lines on a flat printing surface, those lines can be easily
felt with a finger and represent expansion/contraction of resin being heated by
a small fan heater within an insulated enclosure. Flat surfaces will show this
more readily, however the second photo shows a model where, on the mane, you can
see the same ridges running downward at regular intervals.



Wraithful Kirin by Mini Monster Mayhem (Patreon and My Mini Factory)





To understand why this is happening we first have to understand how most fan
heaters on the market work. They operate by having a built in on/off thermostat.
These kind of thermostats work by turning the heater on to raise the temperature
up to a set value. When the thermostat detects that this temperature has been
reached, it turns off the heating element within the heater (it might also turn
off the fan). It will then remain off until such time as the thermostat detects
the temperature has dropped below a threshold value; it then turns the heating
element and fan back on to the full extent of the selected power until the
temperature rises again.
This on-off cycle is very regular for a stable environment and will generate
those lines of expansion/contraction as the resin reacts to those sharp rises in
temperature and the steady fall after.



To resolve this problem you have to use a proportional thermostat and
proportional fan heater. Proportional setups differ because they work by raising
the temperature to a set value, but then don’t turn off once reaching that
value. Instead the power being sent to the heating element is reduced so that
the temperature is maintained at the desired value. Any variation is often very
slight and as a result you have a steady constant printing environment
temperature.

Proportional heating setups are fairly specialist and can be hard to source for
3D printing. There are many proportional fan heaters on the market (they are
commonly used for car heaters); however proportional thermostats for a fan
heater are much less common. There are many proportional thermostats made for
pets (eg fish and reptiles), however they are not made for fan heaters. They
only work with ceramic heat lamps and heat mats, which in general do not work
well for a 3d printer environment.
Fan heaters with proportional thermostats are more commonly found in egg
incubator machines, however in many regions these are already built into an
incubator, which means to use them for printing you will have to modify things.

I have managed to find one good source for a proportional thermostat and fan
heater setup which is not built into an existing incubator. Incubator Warehouse
(USA) produce a range called the Incukit which are ideal for 3D printing. I did
have to import these and use their international version as I’m based in the UK.
Note if you do get them see if you can source your own US to UK power connector
since the ones they provided me don’t tend to hold the US plug very tightly (it
slips out very easily). Their ebay store is also cheaper on postage than their
main website for international customers Incubator Warehouse Ebay


There are two models on sale;

IncuKit Mini – https://incubatorwarehouse.com/48-watt-incukit-dc.html
A 48Watt fan heater with proportional thermostat already attached. This is a
small setup that, with a bit of work, you can place inside a printer hood (you
might have to drill a small hole for cables for the fan and sensor to fit
inside). It’s ideal for heating just 1 printer directly so long as its insulated
as well and also not having to work at raising the temperature by a large
amount.
The value you have to watch is its running power use, since its not ideal for
the setup to be running near full power for a prolonged period of time (eg
constant when it comes to 3D printing).

IncuKit XL for Cabinets – https://incubatorwarehouse.com/incukit-xl.html
A 125Watt 1 fan or 250Watt 2 fan heater. This option comes with a regular
thermostat (on/off) by default so if you do order it you need to make sure to
add the advanced thermostat which is the proportional one. This option is far
more powerful even with just 1 fan and is thus much more suited to raising the
temperature of an insulated enclosure up by a greater amount and being able to
maintain it with less power being sent to its heaters (far better for long term
use).

Personally I’ve tried both and, for my situation, I settled on the XL version
since it allowed me to raise the printing temperature to 30C/68F and maintain
that temperature without having to maintain high output to the fan heaters. I
also believe that it will be far more suitable for the colder part of the year
when the room temperatures can easily drop below 10C/50F. You can see the setup
I’ve used below, a simple bit of wood nailed together to form a stand and the
fans screwed into it (the set provides screws for this purpose).







In addition to the above, there’s one more bonus of a warm printing environment,
support removal. When I was testing my printer and heaters prior to learning
much of the above, I did two print runs of the same model with the same
supports. One was at 20C/68F and one was at 30C/86F. The print at 20C/68F was
much harder to remove from the supports, requiring the hot water trick and
clippers to finally get it off the supports. Meanwhlie the one that was printed
at 30C/86F and kept at that temperature whilst sitting on the build plate,
peeled off its supports effortlessly.



It’s for this reason, as well as the reduced viscosity of the resin, that I try
to keep my print environment at 30C/86F now. Whilst you can immerse the print
and its supports into hot water to warm it up to make it easier to separate it
from the supports, this results in resin contaminated water (even if you washed
in IPA first); which then has to be processed to be disposed of safely.



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OSSIARCH BONEREAPERS – SPEARS VS SWORDS

The following is a discussion based on probability theory (often called
dice-theory in wargaming circles) which compares the performance of different
weapon options for both the Mortek Guard and the Deathriders; both units from
the new Ossiarch Bonereaper army for Age of Sigmar

 


MORTEK GUARD – GREATBLADES

First lets consider the Greatblade weapon option that you can take for one in
every 10 warriors of Mortek Guard. Below you can see a table comparing the
results of taking Greatblades in units of different sizes for both Spears and
Swords forming the majority of the unit. Remember for each group of 10 models,
one is a Greatblade. So for 40 warriors there are 4 Greatblades in the unit.



I’ve chosen to compare two extremes of save for the total damage dealt (since
greatblades, spears and swords all deal 1 damage).

You can see that with Swords the difference is almost impossible to see between
taking Greatblades and not taking them. Whilst the Greatblade gets no Nadirite
bonus for 6s rolled on a “to-hit”; it has a better wound roll (3) which makes up
the difference.
With spears the Greatblades rending starts to make an impact, however even so
the difference is again, quite marginal; however there is a slightly greater
gain for the Greatblades over using them in a unit of swords. This is simply
reflecting the rending giving the Greatblade a slight bonus in combat.
Overall there is a benefit to having Greatblades within the unit, however the
difference is by no means night and day. It should be noted that in the maths
above its assumed that all models make it into close combat. Clearly when
pairing Greatblades with spears one will have to have more care for the position
of the Greatblades within the unit as they will only have a range of 1 inch,
compared to the 2 inch range of the spears.

 


MORTEK GUARD – SPEARS VS SWORDS

Now for one of the most often asked questions regarding Mortek Guard – Swords or
Spears?! Again I’ve prepared a table of results:



This table is a little more complicated to read, so to make it a little clearer
below I’ve summarised the data into four graphs. Each graph refers to a specific
save value for the target of the attacks


So at first glance we can easily see that when the number of warriors is the
same, swords will always have a greater chance to deal more damage than spears.
This is the effect of a whole unit having a -1 rend on the swords compared to
the spears which have no rending, but otherwise near identical stats to the
swords. Indeed as the save value of the attacked unit improves the divide in
number of wounds landed between swords and spears increases, with swords very
clearly in the lead when in large numbers against a high save target



However its not a totally clear call. If you look at the numbers and at the
graph you can see that when the number of warriors holding spears is greater
than the number of warriors with swords, the spears tip the balance quite
quickly into doing more damage. Now as Mortek Guard with spears and swords have
the same point cost, the only variable we have left to play with is the range.
Swords only have a 1 inch range, whilst spears have a 2 inch range. As units get
larger it can become less practically possible to get all warriors into close
combat range. Thus the inch difference in reach can become quite important in
the actual game.

Now at your local game tables these stats might vary in how well they impact
your game. If you regularly play against big spread out enemy units with very
little terrain then you might well find that its very easy for you to get 40
warriors into close combat range with only a 1 inch reach on their weapons. So
swords would be the best choice. However you might fight smaller units and on
tables with a more dense covering of terrain. Suddenly those speares with their
extra reach start to come into their own. So some local variation might take
place for you.

In conclusion I would say that whilst swords always have a greater potential to
cause more wounds than spears, the practical nature of using them in the game
means that spears start to come into their own as the Mortek Guard increase in
number on the table.
If you want a rough dividing point where one might switch form swords to spears
I would say at 30 warriors. For units of 10 or 20 its very possible that you
will get all units into close combat range with only 1 inch of range. Therefore
the bonus to rend is far superior to another inch of reach that you might not
ever need. Once you’re up to 30 or 40 models you’re into a scale where that
extra inch of reach is going to start making a growing difference in the number
of models that can contribute to each round of combat.
Of course keep in mind the nature of your opponent as well. An opponent with
lots of high save targets that are spread out is going to really benefit taking
swords against; meanwhile if they are armed with mostly 6 save models; the extra
reach of spears is going to be more important – especially since such armies
tend to be larger so landing more hits is more important than the power of each
hit.

 


DEATHRIDERS

So we’ve tackled the Mortek Guard, but there’s one more where the debate of
spears or swords arises, the Deathriders.



So this one is not as tricky to read as before (and doesn’t fit into a chart as
easily). What its showing is actually rather sad in a way because swords are
beating spears in every tier. Even on the charge when the spears get to cause
two hits on a 5 and 6, the rending of the swords still keeps them above the
spears. The rending just makes a huge difference in maximising what the swords
can do with the attacks they make.
Again we see that same pattern that in order to get the most out of spears its
going to be with big units where not every model will easily make it into 1 inch
range to contribute to combat.
Importantly the charge bonus that spears get only just levels the playingfield
with swords. So in order to maximise the potential of spears you really want to
be retreating and charging as often as possible. Otherwise you want a large unit
so that you really are using all of that 2 inch range on the weapons to get
every warrior into battle.

 

Overall its a shame that GW didn’t manage to give spears and swords a bit more
division in their overall performance. It’s also strange that, since spears
featured so heavily in the artwork and early photos of the army (and honestly
look darn impressive on the models) that they’ve actually turned out quite the
underdog in anything but massed forces.
That said the differences here are quite marginal and I’d wager that on the
tabletop they would be very hard to reliably see.

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TRANSFORMERS COMICS!

Yes a bit of a break from the regular (ok its never regular) miniatures updates
(where I’m currently swamped with rats at present) to take some time to
highlight the recent Humble Bundle for Transformers comics! They’ve got a
massive sale on which includes almost all of the main IDW published series
timeline that they’ve published over the years. However the Comixology pages
list a lot more comics spread out over classic eras and the Bay films and other
TV tie-ins and it makes rather tricky reading to work out what is missing, what
you do get and what you don’t get. So I sat down and worked it all out.

I’ve also not been alone and another (far more dedicated) fan has also produced
a reading order for the entire series. My own list is more of a purchase advice
list and aims to show what is and isn’t included as well as roughly what fits
into which block.

So if you’re new or want a refresher I recommend you to read the following two
websites which both list suggested reading orders for the series (the first also
contains links to comixology for the missing issues – just like my own does
below).

Bundle Reading Guide
Overall Transformers reading(publication) guide

Note all comics listed below with a * beside them are included in the Humble
Bundle found here Humble Bundle IDW Transformer Bundle!

Classic/Original series
Transformers Classics: UK
Transformers: Classics Originally published by Marvel Comics as THE TRANSFORMERS
Transformers: 30th Anniversary Collection Note appears to collect a random
selection of issues from various series. Unsure if all collected are still
present on comixology – might have things which are not (I can’t verify)
Transformers: Best of UK – Prey Based on the description I assume this is from
the Classics UK range and would be included within that (anyone able to
confirm?)
Transformers: Best of UK – City of Fear Based on the description I assume this
is from the Classics UK range and would be included within that (anyone able to
confirm?)

IDW Main timeline series
*Transformers
*Transformers: Autocracy Trilogy Collects the Autocracy, Monstrosity, and
Primacy series.
*Transformers: Monstrosity
*Transformers: Primacy
*Transformers: All Hail Megatron
*Transformers: Dark Cybertron
*Transformers: Heart of Darkness NOTE included in Transformers Vol 4 Heart of
Darkness (also part of Humble Bundle Deal)
*Transformers: Maximum Dinobots
*Transformers: Megatron Origin
*Transformers: Infiltration
*Transformers: Ironhide
*Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye (2011-2016)
*Transformers: Escalation
*Transformers: Devastation
*Transformers: Stormbringer
*Optimus Prime Note Volume 5 not included, but the issues and Annual that
comprise it are included in the Bundle
*Transformers: Lost Light Volume 4 not included, instead the individual issues
are included in the bundle
*First Strike Both Transformers/G.I. Joe: First Strike and Champions collected
editions are included in the bundle
*Transformers: Drift Origins and Empires Includes Spotlight: Drift, Drift #1–4
and rift: Empire of Stone
*Transformers: Drift: Empire of Stone Included in Origins and Empires (above)
*Transformers: Titans Return
*Transformers: Redemption of the Dinobots Includes Punishment, Redemption and
Salvation
*Transformers: Punishment Included in Redeption of the Dinobots
*Transformers: Redemption Included in Redeption of the Dinobots
*Transformers: Salvation Included in Redeption of the Dinobots
*Transformers: Unicron All issues included individually (at time of bundle the
Collected edition is not yet released)
*Transformers vs. The Visionaries
*Transformers: Historia
*Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers
*Transformers: Requiem of the Wreckers
*Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers
*Transformers: Robots In Disguise (2011-2016)
*Transformers: Till All Are One
*Transformers: Combiner Wars
*Windblade The Last City Includes both windblade series below
*Transformers: Windblade (2015) Included in Last City
*Transformers: Windblade Included in Last City



Revolution
*Revolution: Transformers includes More Than Meets The Eye, and Till All Are One
Revolution One-Shots plus the 2015 Holiday Special
*Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye: Revolution Included in Revolution
Transformers
*Transformers: Till All Are One: Revolution Included in Revolution Transformers
*Transformers: Revolution #1Included in Revolution Transformers

Note far as I can tell “heroes” and Road to Revolution are not included – anyone
else able to confirm
Revolution: The Road to Revolution 100-Page Special
Revolution: Heroes

NOT included in the bundle standard era
Spotlight
Transformers: Death of Optimus Prime Note might be part of an included collected
edition – Unsure
Revolutionaries
Rom vs. Transformers: Shining Armor
Action Man Vol. 1 Part of Revolution series
Transformers: Combiner Hunters Special
Transformers: Evolution – Hearts Of Steel
Transformers: Infestation
Transformers: Infestation 2
Transformers: Regeneration One
Transformers vs. G.I. Joe
Transformers vs. G.I. Joe: Tyrants Rise, Heroes Are Born
Transformers: Bumblebee
Transformers: Bumblebee—Win If You Dare
Transformers: Bumblebee: Go for the Gold!

IDW A Bold new Era
Transformers
Transformers/Ghostbusters

“Bay” Movie tie-ines
Transformers 3 Movie Prequel
Transformers 3 Movie Adaptation
Transformers: Alliance – The Revenge of the Fallen Prequel
Transformers: Bumblebee Movie Prequel
Transformers: Defiance – The Revenge of the Fallen Movie Prequel
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Movie Adaptation
Transformers: The Offical Movie Adaptation
Transformers: The Official Movie Adaptation Prequel
Transformers: Nefarious
Transformers: Sector 7
Transformers: Rising Storm
Transformers: Reign of Starscream
Transformers: Tales of the Fallen

New Animated series
Transformers Animated
Transformers Animated – ‘Bots of Science
Transformers Animated – The Arrival
Transformers: Allspark Almanac
Transformers: Robots In Disguise Animated (2015-2016)

Transformers Prime Series (ties both Fall of Cybertron game and Prime TV show)
Transformers: Prime
Transformers: Prime – The Orion Pax Saga
Transformers: Prime – Rage of the Dinobots
Transformers: Prime – Beast Hunters

Others
Transformers: Art of Fall of Cybertron
Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
Transformers: The Cover Collection
Star Trek vs. Transformers



Note far as I can find the Beastwars tie-in comics by IDW are not on Comixology
unless they are hidden away under some obscure listing title.

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SKAVEN BATTLETOME!

 

Yes yes it is here now! The might of the Great Horned One shall spread
throughout all the Realms, all shall bow grovel to the might of the Skaven!


REVIEW OF THE BATTLETOME

My first impression of the tome was “oh gods this paper is heavy” and yes the
pages are thick with ink! Brilliant colour on every single page, from decorative
edges to full page and double page artwork spreads as well as army photos. GW’s
photography studio has excelled themselves yet again in making photos that are
as dynamic and epic as the sweeping artwork GW still fills their books with
(although sometimes it highlights that GW really needs a few more models of
things here and there when you can spot the same 3 stormfiends every time they
appear).

The lore and story is well setout and, like many current Battletomes, they focus
on a quick telling of the history of Skaven from the early days in the Age of
Myth through the Age of Chaos and into the current times of the Age of Sigmar.
The Myth age setting lore is, as for many, quite light on detail; representing
the various histories and pasts lost to the Skaven over the vast generations.
The short details leave a lot of room for further writing and fleshing out and
for fleshing out ones own backstory and clan to fit into the realms. There’s
also tantalizing hooks placed here and there – the mysterious fate of Clan
Shrykt who built a new gnawhole and collapsed it in on itself behind them, their
destination unknown; or that Clan Tichritt (a fallen Clan now) once held
Chronomatic weapons of great power. Just two of the potential hooks that might
one day be developed and evolved upon.
There are also many neat stories telling of creative plagues; unique machines
and even skyfleets of stolen airships. Ideas that might spark the imagination of
eager converters within the hobby; or which might one day appear here and there
as future weapons and models released by GW official (though I’m sure the dark
minds of their master crafters have got even more nefarious ideas to sculpt up
for us). Plus fans of the mighty and cunning Thanquol will be pleased to know he
features with his own short story!

From the general background things get more specific, focusing on a page for
each of the Great Clans (Skyre, Eshin, Moulder, Verminous, Pestilens and Master)
which set the scene. Though Skyre and Pestilens are the clear poster-child
factions of the current age (likely bolstered by Pestilens own Battletome to
begin with and by Skyre having quite a few newer kits and variety in the current
range). Others are certainly not left without, but I’d wager we’ll see more of
clans like Moulder as and when GW can update some of the older sculpts such as
Rat Ogres*.

From clans to units the next big segment goes into some lore and history on the
various units and weapons of the Skaven; giving some flavour to the various
units and weapons of the army that gamers can directly buy and field on the
tabletop.

Following is glorious page after page of photos of models from the GW painters
and army displays, joined by several good and quick painting tips for various
specific Skaven elements such as teeth, fur and warpstone.

Finally there’s the rules for the army; rules that you build either a clan
focused army around one of the great clans, or a motley united force of Skaven
pulled together by a powerful leader. Whatever your choice you can find it here
and the single Battletome shines for being able to combine sub-armies whilst
also letting them viably compete with each other for their own unique flavour. I
will not go into any detail in the balance or numbers, there’s going to be
endless reviews and arguments and battles that will appear over the coming
months that will hammer out the winners and losers from the balance pass.
Suffice it to say Skaven will never be a full beginners army; with many
abilities that can outright kill themselves as much as their foes Skaven will
need a careful hand to guide them to victory. I will say that its fantastic to
see that they’ve retained almost their entire line from the Old World days;
though also they’ve lost a few parts here and there. One I’m honestly glad to
see gone are Skaven Slaves, for whilst they fit the lore really well (and they
are very much still part of it); they were always both overpriced (as they never
went full plastic) and so highly numerous whilst being the epitome of a chaff
unit. The kind you’d spend hours making only to remove most of them each game
pretty fast. Even in the old days most just fielded Clanrats so to have slaves
gone and Clanrats the lowest of the biped rats is a good thing in my view.

 

If we consider this the first tome then Skaven are off to a good start with a
great foundation to build upon. I fully expect that in the coming years we’ll
see more stories like Skaven Pestilens which add to the lore and history of the
faction. We’ll certainly see Thanquol weaving his mad plots and schemes and see
the rise and fall of many a Skaven plan. Whilst some of the detailed depth has
been lost from the Old World, Skaven have honestly retained almost all of their
original character, they are still maniacal, scheming, cowardly, crazed rats.
They still stab each other in the back as much as they stab their opponents and
other races; they still strike from the shadows and, if the Hammerheld Herald is
to believed, they still don’t officially exist!





 


CARRION EMPIRE 

If you’re checking out Skaven right now then you surely can’t miss that Carrion
Empire also launches this weekend. A duel battle kit featuring mad rats and
madder cannibals with a new leader for both armies as well as a steep discount
on the models within. A great selection for starting off your Clan Skyre or for
bolstering your other clans with Skyres powerful war engines such as the famous
Doomwheel!

If you don’t want to get the box I strongly recommend scouring your local store
or ebay for the book that comes with the box. The Carrion Empire booklet isn’t
huge, but gives a fantastic setting (and several themed battleplans for use
against Flesh Eater Courts) and adds to the overall lore of the Skaven in the
Mortal Realms.

 

* It should be noted that a selection of models including ogres, engineers,
packmaster, warpfire throwers and globethrowers were updated with the Island of
Blood boxed set in the last age of the Old World. However whilst those kits are
still found on ebay (hunt around you can still find unbuilt ones); they’ve not
made it into the current age (although teasingly the globethrowers do appear in
the codex in a few photos).

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November 18, 2018

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BLACK LIBRARY NOVELLA SERIES 1


A BOOK REVIEW OF THE NEW NOVELLA SERIES BY BLACK LIBRARY.



Recently Black Library published the first ten books of a new run of novellas
which span their range of worlds. From the dark and polluted ruins of the
Underhive of Necromunda, to the vast magical peaks of the 8 Realms of the Age of
Sigmar, these books take you on a wild series of adventures. They are a nice
length for an evening read each and whilst they don’t have the length of a full
novel, they still have room to develop characters and give you far more flavour
of the worlds they take part in.

The Bloodied Rose by Danie Ware – Sisters of Battle (40K)
Steel Daemon by Ian St Martin – Imperial Guard (40K)
Auric Gods by Nick Kyme – Custodes (Space Marines – 40K)
Spear of Ultramar by David Annandale – Horus Heresy (prequel to Siege of Terra
series)
Dreadwing by David Guymer – Horus Heresy (prequel to Siege of Terra series)
Wanted: Dead by Mike Brooks – House Escher (Necromunda)
Warqueen by Darius Hinks – Dark Oath (Age of Sigmar)
The Red Hours by Evan Dicken – Sigmarites (Age of Sigmar)
The Bone Desert by Robbie MacNiven – Gotrek Gurnisson (Age of Sigmar)
Heart of Winter by Nick Horth – Scourge Privateers (Age of Sigmar)

As you can see there’s a fair smattering of stories from the fantasy and the
futuristic. Some are clearly tied to major recent publications and soon to be
publications, such as Horus Heresy and Gotrek; whilst others are more free form
stories set within their respective worlds. As they are shorter books I will
provide a short summary review for those I’ve read below.

WARQUEEN by Darius Hinks. This is a powerful story that presents a fresh angle
on worshippers of the Chaos gods and focuses on the lesser known Dark Oath
factions. Brave and mighty barbarian tribes that worship the Chaos Gods. If any
reading have ever read any of the Conan stories/comics or seen the various films
(esp the classic with Arnald) then the Dark Oath feel lifted right out of the
Hyborean age. Whilst with more trust to magic than your average Cimmerian, they
are still akin to that classic warlike wild image. These are not crazed nor
mindless characters and they retain a stronger sense of their humanity and
emotions.

Within this story is war, betrayal and discovery. Follow a mighty warqueen as
she seeks to unite her people under a single banner, to forge them into a single
army that can carry them beyond the plains they have warred over for generations
in the Age of Chaos. To bring them into the Age of Sigmar and make them a threat
for all the world to fear. I would say of all those I’ve read thus far this is
my favourite of the series.



 

HEART OF WINTER by Nick Horth. This story is cold. Not just from the frigid
lands in which it takes place, where biting winds, ice slick surfaces and
frostbite are around every corner; but with the characters that fill the story
with their taste for blood, slavery, betrayal and revenge. Aelf pirates without
equal, who are the literal scourge of the high seas. Those who have a passing
understanding of the Old World (or who have been playing Warhammer Total War 2)
will recognise some mighty icons from the past appear again within the Realms as
a mighty Black Ark features prominently in this tale.
Of interest this story also ties strongly into the development of the Realms and
the Age of Sigmar and is perhaps one of the stories that is the most “recent” in
the time line. Whilst it does not focus upon those golden warriors from Sigmar,
it does show how their society and the new Order is going. Giving us an idea of
the rebirth, the rebuilding and the political shifts that are taking place
within the Realms. It’s a view of the world generations beyond the end of the
Age of Chaos; where only aged Aelves might remember the Cursed blight that was
upon the land. This adds greatly to the story and makes it a fascinating read
beyond the development of the background of another faction. Those who are fans
of the Daughters of Khaine would also find this story of interest, for its not
just scourge Aelves who inhabit the bloody pirate strongholds. Places of
slavery, death, blood and fighting attract those piests and worshippers of the
bloody God of Murder.

WANTED: DEAD by Mike Brooks. Necromunda lends itself well to the short story
market and this tale does not disappoint in the least. We see the classic
Necromunda battle between Houses Escher and Goliath, but things are not always
so simple as the might appear on the surface in this dark, dank world of the
Underhive. There’s also a tale of love woven into this and of loyalties which
are fine additions to the lore of Necromunda, where betrayal and selfish
interests can often appear to rule much of the action. It adds to the rich
tapestry of the world and shows that the Underhive, for all its lack of
education and structure, is possibly one of the most varied settings in the 41st
millennium.
We also get a sense of how individual each gang within a Great House is, how
they are almost alone as they carve out their own little corner of the Underhive
and defend it to the last against any competition.

 

THE BLOODIED ROSE  by Danie Ware. Welcome to the world of the Sisters of Battle,
women monks of a powerful militant order who are bound to serve the one true
Emperor of Mankind and protect humanity from the threats of the heretic, the
mutant, the xeno and the corrupt. The story here touches at the very foundation
of the war of mankind vs the darkness of the universe and follies of the long
forgotten past of mankind when they originally spread through the stars in ages
past.

The religious element is woven into this story well and builds a fantastic
mental picture of the churches and religious order of the Sisters. Of how they
worship in battle, of how prayer and unity with their sisters armours them
against the darkness of the universe and how those dark forces might see to
corrupt and tempt them.

The story starts off building a fantastic sense of mystery, touched with the
edge of horror. Carrying the reader forward eagerly with page after page as one
seeks to uncover the truth of an abandoned settlement and the dark forces that
have led to its twisted, macabre end.

 

If you are interested in reading these stories and others in the series, then
they are up for sale now. At £3 each for print or digital, or if you get them
direct from the Black Library website there’s a £3 discount if you get the whole
series of 10 in one go (digital or print). The price is well worth it and this
series makes the fantastic in-fill whilst you’re waiting for that next reprint
of Inferno Classic or the upcoming New Inferno issue 2

Print Collection

Digital Collection

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INFERNO – THE CLASSIC ERA


A REVIEW OF THE REPRINTS OF INFERNO BY BLACK LIBRARY



Last month Games Workshop started doing print on order of the first run of 5
issues of their classic Inferno series magazine. This was run biomonthly from
1997 to 2004 and features short stories from all the worlds of Games Workshop of
the time – Warhammer Classic, Warhammer 40K, Necromunda and others – as well as
comics, artwork, cutways, maps and other similar content.

As such they are a fantastic eye into the grim dark worlds that Games Workshop
has created, giving you a touch of flavour and adventure as well as a bit more
background.

These are high quality reprints made identically to their original versions,
even down to the page of advertisements, addresses, prices and even the
questionnaire on the last page of the first edition. It’s all here 100%
authentic in beautiful black and white (within the pages) as it was when it was
first hot off the printers all those years ago.



I was originally on the fence and found it hard to find much info on these and
the stories they contain, however as GW was selling them at £5 each and £25 for
the set I figured I’d take a leap and give them a try, esp since searching
around Ebay showed that the original copies were selling for around those prices
anyway. The first series of 5 has now finished its order run (sorry I didn’t get
mine till the last days so couldn’t write this any sooner); however they are
planning to return to print the entire series from start to finish. Each coming
as a set of 5 for a month on print on demand (which is typically pretty fast
turn around).

I couldn’t be more pleased with these, high quality printing and some great
material and background to really immerse yourself in the lore and settings. The
stories are well written and fun adventures. Note that some do appear in later
collected editions (eg the Necromunda Story “The Demon Bottle” Also features in
Status Deadzone collection), however others are fully stand alone and have not
been reprinted by the Black Library. The comics, cutaways and other content have
also, again, mostly never been reprinted outside of Inferno.

The stories are well written and have all that punch and wild fun that one would
expect from adventure stories set within grim dark settings. From tales of Space
Marines against Monstrous first generation Tyranids (the classic Screamer Killer
and the old “Alien movie” style hormagaunts); to demonic incursions into the
Underhive of Necromunda through to swords and spells as adventurers quest for
ancient magical artifacts in dark caves (who also features a barbarian who
sounds like he’s right out of the 80s Arnold Schwarzenegger era of films –
accent and all). Some of these one off stories stand alone, others are the very
early days and adventures of some heroes who later became big names in their own
right, such as the mighty Gotrek and Felix!
The authors are wide ranging, some who have come and gone others who have
remained with Games Workshop and Black Library for decades – Andy Jones,
Jonathan Green, Gav Thorpe and so many more.

The comics vary in their styles of the artist and in what they are conveying,
from short one offs to longer running series such as Obvious Tactics. Again
another great way to look into the dark world of the 41st Millennium or the deep
gothic mystical world of Fantasy.

 

If you were on the fence before I’d encourage you  to take the leap and get into
this series if you can, even if you only pick up a few direct from Games
Workshop. Quite a few are still lurking around on ebay and other secondhand book
stores – so if you’ve missed the start its not too late. Meanwhile anyone who
already has a collection with a few gaps this is a perfect situation to pick up
those issues that you missed out on.

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Posted by

Overread

Posted on

November 1, 2018

Posted under

Age of Sigmar, Black Library, Reviews, warhammer

Comments

2 Comments


SKAVEN PESTILENS


A BOOK REVIEW OF SKAVEN PESTILENS BY JOSH REYNOLDS



This is a special book for me as it was not only my first foray into the
blighted world of the Skaven, not just my  first look at the proper lore and
world of Age of Sigmar, but my  first ever full Black Library book that I read.
Having spent many years as a Tyranid fan and a fringe fan of many other armies
(ergo not fully invested), I’d never really delved deep into the lore of 40K nor
the Old World of Fantasy Warhammer.

So from the get go I should say that I really recommend this title!

Within you discover the filth infested, back stabbing world of the Skaven of two
Pestliens Clans as they fight over their conquest of a city that crumbles as
their rotting blighted powers and war engines tear it to bits. The very ground
beneath this vast city being burrowed into by the skaven as they feast on the
flesh of the vast living wyrm that forms the foundations. Yes this is a war on
the move and the mental images and descriptions that Josh creates are as epic as
Age of Sigmar can aspire to be. Vast cities built atop even greater wyrms that
wander a vast open plain, the various cities warring with each other and the
twisted blights of Chaos that have crept into the world during the Age of Chaos.

Into this we have the Skaven as they seek something a relic from the Old World
that was, but they are not alone. For into this destroyed city march the shining
beacons of the Stormcast, come to cleanse the great beast and free the peoples
of the city and awaken the great Realm Gate nestled in a temple built atop its
head. However even their might is not enough to overcome the thick smoke and
plagues of the Skaven, allies have to be found not just from the released
captives of the city, but also from other races. From an old and ancient race
that comes not just to fight the blight of Skaven and Chaos, but with their own
motivations and ideals as well.

This is a book filled with magic and battles and Josh expertly balances the
forces involved and the heroes that arise within each army. We see and get a
fantastic flavour for the races involved and see the personal aspirations of
characters as they seek to achieve their various objectives.

The only real criticism I have after reading is that I wish it were longer. I
would have loved to have read the beginning of the war when the city was first
under siege and the Skaven arose to fight the peoples of the wyrm; and I would
love to read more of the story after the events in the book. I really hope that
Josh gets to return to the world of the Skaven as he’s got a good talent for
writing about these dark, twisted, slightly (if not totally) mad rats.

As I said at the start this is one book that I’d strongly recommend reading,
though as noted just below in the links, I’d also recommend that you grab a copy
of the Legends of the Age of Sigmar since you can then also tip into the worlds
of two other major races as they awaken and throw off the shackles of Chaos
invasion; leaving behind the Age of Chaos and bathing in the blood and light of
the Age of Sigmar.

I recommend getting this book as part of the Legends of the Age of Sigmar:
Omnibus 1 as for the same price as the book on its own, you get a selection of
other great novels focusing on the Fyreslayers and the Sylvaneth.

Also available on Amazon and other good book stores.


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