Some info for the 40k seminar, as well as whatever I can piece together from my chicken-scratch notes on the new SM sprues:
- First things first - Mark Gibbons is back with the company!
Mark's done a lot of concept work for the new Codex: Space Marines, and his <a href="
http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=art&v=56">art</a> is used for the final versions of each of the special characters in the new book. They are in-freaking-credible. I'll get back to some of Mark's stuff later on.
- there were NO SQUAT QUESTIONS at the seminar!!! Yay!!! (get out the record <a href="
http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=bo ... ">books</a> folks!)
- Morale <a href="
http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=test&v=56">test</a> required to charge a Monstrous Creature.
- New missions will all have a difficulty rating (IIRC: 'Alpha', 'Gamma', and 'Omega', for 'easy', 'normal', and 'hard'). The difficulty of a mission is based on the number of special rules and their complexity (harder = more complexity and rules).
- Two new mission rules: Concealment - units that don't move in the first turn are 'concealed', and the enemy must roll night fight to shoot them. Escalation - both players start with infantry on the board, but big stuff comes in from reserves (put in to help mitigate the first-turn win ability of some armies particularly in high-point games).
- New <a href="
http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=pa ... ckaging</a> will have codex icons to indicate which boxes are for which army (good for beginners and parents!), and will feature <a href="
http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=ph ... >photos</a> of the models in the box. The <a href="
http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=ph ... >photos</a> will have some cool gunfire and smoke effects, much like the pics that FW does for the IA <a href="
http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=bo ... ">books</a> (some funny stories about the 'special' effects ).
- Space Marines, Tyranids, Eldar. Confirmed.
- Work on Tyranids has already begun, but NO details could be given - the project is in super-stealth mode right now... at *least* ten questions were answered with: "I can't talk about the Tyranids today mate, sorry."
- Codex: SM release notes: 4 NEW boxes, 7 NEW blisters, 2 metal boxes, 4 (?) revisted plastics boxes (more on that later!).
- Many new <a href="
http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=Ps ... Psychic</a> powers for Librarians (bringing the total to 6 IIRC), including one that lets the Librarian reroll EVERYTHING (!).
- New plastic attack bike is super-cool. Not much different from the current one, but the sidecar is more built-up, and there are lots of extra saddlebags and such on the sprues. This is from some partial-assembly pics, and those may have been from a WiP.
- New Terminator Assault Cannon (again, WiP) rocks!
- Assault Cannon confirmed: Heavy 3, Rending. Thus spake Mr. Kelly.
- New Techmarine: 2 body styles, with 1 harness that fits both bodies. The Servo-Harness has two powerclaws, a tl-plasma pistol (plasma cutter), and a flamer! Sounds super-pokey!
- Techmarines confirmed to be Elites.
- Lots of new Servitors to go with your new techmarines - Gun (HB or MM), Combat (PF), or repair (tools = + to repair rolls).
- New Whirlwind will have been worth the wait. Radar array similar to current / old-style. Rockets on the <a href="
http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=pi ... ictures</a> of the finished model that were shown had two large mounts (one to either side of the central support), with two big rockets (top and bottom) in each mount. New Codex entry has options for different ammunition types... mentioned were the 'Castellan' minelayer rockets.
- New Ravenguard commander model is great. As mentioned before twin LC, and a really cool jump pack. Don't recall anyone saying before that he has a set of frag launchers built into the jump pack (right above his helmet) - very cool.
- Imperial Fists Terminator Captain Lysander model is even better than the RG captain. Huge Thunder Hammer with Fist icon at the top of the shaft, fantastic pose. Mark G. did all the concept <a href="
http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=art&v=56">art</a> for both of these guys and the models are really a success.
- More new Veteran models. Mk. 6 with a drum-mag stormbolter, high-crested (like the DA exarch) vet with power weapon, vet with twin LC. These models look way cooler in person than the pics indicated.
- On the subject of Veterans... Vet squads and Terminator squads can take Veteran Skills. Skills mentioned by name were all from C: CSM (tank hunters, furious charge, etc.).
- New Marneus will come in a boxed set with his two Honour Guard (the concept <a href="
http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=art&v=56">art</a> blew me away... serious cool-factor here). Since the HG are in ornate power armour, and marneus has to be bigger than his guards... MARNEUS WILL BE IN TERMINATOR ARMOUR! The concept <a href="
http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=art&v=56">art</a> for the New Marneus rocks!
- Chaplain Cassius model is very awesome. The 1st Tyrranic war veterans was a big part of Mark G.'s concept work. Though it couldn't be confirmed, Phil and Mark thought that a Boxed set of 1TW veterans was very likely (otherwise they'll be blisters).
- Speaking of 1TW veterans... Mark had done a couple of pieces for a 1TW veteran Librarian called a 'Hive Mind Psyker'. The idea was that in order to better hunt the Tyranids, and to gain insigt into their plans, a Librarian would take the severed head of a slain Tyranid, hook it up to some crazy life support system (either incorporated into his power armour ior on a staff) so that it could continue to recieve hive mind signals, allowing a properly-trained Librarian to telepathically 'tap-in' and interpret what the Hive mind was communicating (like a one-way biological radio transciever) . Very creepy and zany, but really cool. Mark could neither confirm nor deny that these guys would ever see the light of day with rules and models. Cool idea though...
- Commander Sprue. Small boxed set with 2 plastic sprues:
1 set of legs
A few heads (including helmeted and bare-headed, and one baldy with his captain's rivets!)
A couple of chest plates
6 (?) shoulder pads
Combi-Plasma (RH)
Combi-Bolter (RH)
MC plasma pistol (scoped) (RH)
Bolt pistol (RH)
Power Sword (LH)
Power Fist (LH)
CCW (LH)
Lightning Claw (LH)
Backplate w/cape
Plain backplate
Iron Halo
Terminator Honours
Purity Seals (lots of little parchmenbt tubes etc.)
Fancy Backpack (eagle-headed)
A few tabards
- Command Squad Box. Boxed set with 2 sprues:
The new Command squad / Devastator leg sprue.
5 sets of legs, including 2 new ones - kneeling (sweet!) and a more straigh-on pose (not as 'leany' as the current SM tactical legs). A few new bits (mostly Purity seals and parchments).
Command Squad sprue.
Plasma Rifle
Lots of unique and ornate shoulder pads
Plastic Apthecary bits (Nartheicum, Reductor, Backpack doo-dads, shoulder pad)
Standard bearer bits (standard, laurel wreath)
Company Champion* bits (knightly helm, baroque armoured shoulder pads, and assault shield... with bolt pistol hidden underneath)
*Note: The Company Champioon is a new Command Squad character. Maybe he's replacing the Emperor's Champion for non-Templar forces?
Power Fist (differnt form the Commander PF) (LH)
Power Sword (same as the Commander PS) (LH)
A few Back banners
Heads
Extra bits (terminator honours, some shoulderpads with the crux terminatus, purity seals, etc.)
- 'Revisted' boxes include the current range of SM power-armoured plastics. All will get a new sprue to replace one that they currently have. Assault squads were mentioned as getting more dynamic running poses, and maybe a new weapon or two (along with the obligatory new purity seals and parchments). Devastators get the (duh) Devastator / Command legs sprue... I can't wait to make a kneeling lascannon sniper!"
