I thought I’d share my progress following last week’s article before reviewing the next issue.
I have managed to complete the Royal Warden using a very simple colour scheme which should mean I can get through the Necrons quickly enough.
Eknothet Xopcan, the Gleeful Eradicator and Oppressor of the Weak.
I decided to use the ‘fluff builder’ inside the magazine to give the Royal Warden some personality. Therefore after some dice rolling on the following tables in the image, his name was determined to be Eknothet Xopcan, the Gleeful Eradicator and Oppressor of the Weak. However it appears Eknothet is envious of those who still possess flesh and so collects gruesome trophies from his foes. He also carries his Relic Gauss Blaster Verminscourge into battle at every opportunity.
The fluff builder
The Primaris Lieutenant on the other hand is probably around 80% complete as I’ve found I was missing a couple of key paints. But they’re on order so he should be finished this coming week.
No fluff for this guy yet, however any fluff given to him will be of my own making and not from the magazine, as my Void Dragons are a distinctly Anglo-Saxon vibe to them ,(think Alfred the Great etc).
Issue 2
So on to this week’s issue. You’re given three Necron Warriors and some Runelord Brass paint.
I quickly set about building the Necrons and giving them a few base coats to keep up my progress.
But, again these fellows aren’t quite finished yet.
The magazine this week goes into a little more detail about the Ultramarines and the Szarekhan Dynasty, allowing those newer players to develop their knowledge of the background of 40k and the two factions that they’ll be collecting.
On top of this you’re also given some background into the warzone that the combat is taking place.
You’re also given your first painting instructions if you’re following the magazine. It’s fairly simple this week, but will become more complex as the model collection gets larger and more paints are acquired.
Overall, I’m enjoying this a lot more than I though I would be and it is great value for money compared to buying the models and paints separately.
The Woeful Brush Painting Competition Sponsored by SCN Hobby World
Closing date for entries 30th November. £1 entry, win your choice of a Start Collecting or Combat Patrol box set!
After writing about the History of Games Workshop and doing research into A Life in Wargames, I’ve been able to get my grubby little hands on to electronic copies of the first White Dwarf.
Therefore I thought it would be interesting to have a read and to review the first ever issue.
The Cover of Issue #1
The first thing that is noticeable (and to be expected, considering the age) is the whole magazine including the cover is in black and white. There are no photographs and nothing in the way of graphics to make elements stand out. There are a number of drawings that are used throughout the magazine.
Out of the nine articles inside the magazine, four are about Dungeons and Dragons. In the editorial, Ian Livingstone mentions that he hopes White Dwarf will be a vehicle to bring the readers news of all the best science fiction and fantasy games on the market.
The magazine is targeted to the older generation with a comic strip included about Dungeons and Dragons that is distinctly adult in its theme.
Ian starts the issue by reviewing Metamorphosis Alpha a game by TSR that is a science fiction setting for a roleplay game. Metamorphosis Alpha takes place on a gigantic generational space ship whose inhabitants have undergone a series of mutations and every day turns into a challenge to survive as the survivors explore the ship to find supplies.
You can still buy Metamorphosis Alpha today on PDF via Drivethrurpg.com. The game costs just $5.99.
There are also segments about the inaugural UK D&D society and how to become a member.
There is a very long article (which includes algebra) on how to calculate the effectiveness of monsters in D&D. I actually enjoyed this, but I would assume for many that it would be a bit dry.
Open Box gives ratings out of ten to games currently on the market. Their markings so far are;
Diplomacy 10/10
Dungeons and Dragons 10/10
Sorcerer 7/10
Starship Troopers 9/10
There’s a further review of another game called ‘The Warlord’ which is comparable in style to Diplomacy.
This is a very different White Dwarf to the one you know and love, but as a piece of wargaming history it’s fascinating.
The Woeful Brush Painting Competition Sponsored by SCN Hobby World
Closing date for entries 30th November. £1 entry, win your choice of a Start Collecting or Combat Patrol box set!
We’ve referenced Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings by Para-Bellum a number of times on this blog.
Conquest – the Last Argument of Kings is a mass battle wargame produced by Para Bellum Wargames. The rules of the game have been written by one of the industry’s lead game designers, Alessio Cavatore and his studio Riverhorse. The rules are quick and easy to learn for a new player but are still able to offer a new and complex strategy to master. Conquest does away with player turns and army deployment. Instead, it focuses its play around the command stack mechanic, where each player determines at the beginning of the round what order his troops are going to be activated in. Coupled with a unique escalation reinforcement mechanic where light, medium and heavy troops each have their roles, the fog of war is a very real thing.
Playon Tabletop who have thus far primarily focused on their 40k in 40 minutes series are now branching out into Conquest.
Playon Tabletop’s Trailer
Playon have just released a teaser trailer showing upcoming games of Conquest on their channel. What’s more in the video description there is a link to the Para-Bellum website where you can use a discount code to get 10% off Conquest miniatures and products.
For more information on Conquest why not visit their website.
The Woeful Brush Painting Competition Sponsored by SCN Hobby World
Closing date for entries 30th November. £1 entry, win your choice of a Start Collecting or Combat Patrol box set!
John Blanche is the person I need to thank for two things. Firstly getting me into 40k with the amazing box art from the 2nd edition of Warhammer 40k, and secondly for giving me the inspiration to collect Blood Angels.
2nd Edition Boxed Set
I spent hours pouring over the box art and taking in every minute detail in all its glory.
John Blanche became associated with Games Workshop in 1977 producing the cover art for the 4th issue of White Dwarf and the box art for the British edition of Dungeons & Dragons which the company had the license for. In 1978 he produced the first full colour art cover for the 7th issue of White Dwarf.
Dungeons and Dragons artwork by John Blanche
After 1978 he continued working with the company producing many illustrations for White Dwarf and the cover art for the first edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battles in 1983.
Warhammer Fantasy 1st Edition
In 1986 Blanche was made in-house art director of Games Workshop, a position he has held ever since. As well as producing his own work and commissioning others, Blanche also produces designs for Citadel Miniatures.
John Blanche’s minotaur with miniature Mona Lisa.
Blanche’s style is unique and has been termed by many as “Blanchitsu”, a term which is also used by hobbyists who try and emulate his images using miniatures.
A “Blanchitsu” style miniature
John Blanche’s work has brought many into the hobby including myself and will continue to do so for many years to come. John Blanche can be credited with making Warhammer 40,000 grim dark and for that as a fan, I thank him.
The Woeful Brush Painting Competition Sponsored by SCN Hobby World
Closing date for entries 30th November. £1 entry, win your choice of a Start Collecting or Combat Patrol box set!
Wilbur has done a spectacular job on this Blood Bowl team to make them truly stand out from the crowd. With Skaven, Dark Elves, Orcs and Goblins all involved in the lineup it’s no mean feat to give them all a coherency. Wilbur has done this with a fantastic pink, using it to pick out the armour details. Using a darker tone may have meant losing that coherency, so this was an excellent choice in my opinion.
The models are painted to an exquisite standard and the subtle basing really finished them off nicely.
Wilbur wrote about finishing this team along with some great artwork his friend completed to go with them on his blog.
Remember to include #woehammer on your future tweets if you would like us to show off your work!
The Woeful Brush Painting Competition Sponsored by SCN Hobby World
Closing date for entries 30th November. £1 entry, win your choice of a Start Collecting or Combat Patrol box set!
The only major miniatures company releasing miniatures for pre-order this weekend is Games Workshop. However, I will keep an eye on the other companies in the upcoming weeks.
The Orks take centre stage this week with some very nice kits being released for the beast snaggas.
This week’s GW releases
Warlord Games have released limited edition miniature, which is available only for this weekend. Make sure to grab it while you can!
Lucky Jack
Para-Bellum miniatures, have a number of pre-orders up which I have failed to cover previously. All of these are for their title game Conquest.
Another company I have previously missed is Reaper Miniatures. There are a couple of upcoming September releases here for their Bones Black range.
The Woeful Brush Painting Competition Sponsored by SCN Hobby World
Closing date for entries 30th November. £1 entry, win your choice of a Start Collecting or Combat Patrol box set!
Woehammer has been affiliated with SCN Hobby World for some time now and all the members of the team purchase their plastic crack supplies through SCN rather than others such as Element Games, Goblin Gaming or Wayland Games.
Why?
Because if you sign up to the mailing list of SCN Hobby World you can benefit up to 25% off the recommended retail price of Games Workshop products. What’s more is that you’ll also benefit from 10% off on web only products.
SCN Hobby World also stock a variety of other manufacturers and game systems as well. From Warlord Games to Dungeons and Dragons and Magic the Gathering.
Why don’t you check out there website today SCN Hobby World.
To join the mailing list email scnhobbyworld@outlook.com.
The Woeful Brush Painting Competition Sponsored by SCN Hobby World
Closing date for entries 30th November. £1 entry, win your choice of a Start Collecting or Combat Patrol box set!
As a massive fan boy of both 40k and Space Marines when I heard about the new Hatchette collection for Space Marines and Necrons I jumped at the chance.
For those who aren’t aware, Games Workshop and Hatchette are working together to allow players to collect, paint and game with Space Marines and Necrons in a weekly magazine. Each week you’re sent a new issue which usually contains 1-3 models and some paint. The issue will give you background on the models you’ve been sent as well as instructions on how to build and paint them.
Issue #1 arrived through my door late last week. This week’s magazine includes two models, a Primaris Lieutenant with Volkite Pistol and a Necron Royal Warden.
No paints this week, but as a subscriber I did receive a pair of clippers, glue and seam remover as a free gift.
The magazine is nicely detailed, with some information about the factions you’re collecting and some ideas for colour schemes aside from the one you see included on the cover.
Your also given a set of six dice and a small game Matt so that you can take part in your first game (the Warden v the Lieutenant).
The gaming mat
Although it’s not the best quality, I did like that the gaming mat has wound tokens and objective markers which can be cut out and used.
After some work I managed to glue both figures together ready for painting (which as they’re push fit, you don’t need to but I would recommend).
I’ve left the back pack of the marine to make it easier to paint.
I won’t be painting my Marines in the colours of the Ultramarines as shown in the magazine but instead will be painting them as my homebrew chapter the Void Dragons.
One of my other Void Dragon Lieutenants
I’ll try and keep you updated with my progress with the magazine and the two armies as and when I can.
But if you’re interested in subscribing, then I would suggest you check out the website here.
The Woeful Brush Painting Competition Sponsored by SCN Hobby World
Closing date for entries 30th November. £1 entry, win your choice of a Start Collecting or Combat Patrol box set!
Games Workshop is a FTSE 250 company and is about to break into the FTSE 100. It has come a long way from its beginnings in 1975 as a small mail order company run from a bedroom….
The Beginnings
Games Workshop was founded in 1975 by John Peake, Ian Livingstone CBE and Steve Jackson.
At the time they shared a flat in Shepherds Bush in London and wanted to go into business together manufacturing games. The name Games Workshop was chosen as it reflected their ideas for crafting the games by hand.
John Peake was a craftsman who began by making backgammon boards with inlaid Mahogany and Cherry Oak veneer.
Ian Livingstone was an author who started out by writing the hobby magazine Owl & Weasel which would eventually evolve into White Dwarf.
Steve Jackson began his career in 1974 as a freelance journalist with Games & Puzzles magazine. He worked alongside Livingstone on Owl & Weasel and was responsible for much of its content.
Owl & Weasel #1
Games Workshop in the 70’s
They sent their first copies of Owl & Weasel to subscribers of the Albion fanzine, Brian Blume who was the co-founder of American publisher TSR received one of these copies. Blume sent them a copy of TSR‘s new game Dungeons & Dragons in response.
Livingstone and Jackson were so impressed by this game that they worked out an exclusive deal with Blume to be the seller for Dungeons & Dragons in Europe.
Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition
Later that year Livingstone organised their first convention (the first Games Day). Because they were selling product out of their flat, people would turn turn up looking for a store that didn’t exist. As a result in 1976 they were evicted from their flat by their landlord. 1976 also saw John Peake leave Games Workshop as he had no interest in Roleplaying games and the direction the company was taking.
1975 Games Day Prgramme
Livingstone and Jackson opened their first store in 1978 in Hammersmith in London. White Dwarf was first published in the previous year to mainly promote their new shop opening. The name White Dwarf was chosen as it the name would tie to both Fantasy (a Dwarven Character) and Sci-Fi (a type of star).
White Dwarf #1
Livingstone would eventually step down as editor of White Dwarf in 1986 (issue #74).
In 1979 Games Workshop provided the funding to found Citadel miniatures in Newark-on-Trent. Citadel would go on to produce all the metal miniatures used in Games Workshops‘ roleplaying and tabletop wargames. There was a brief period at this time were TSR and Games Workshop considered merging until Livingstone and Jackson backed out of the idea.
During the late 70’s and early 80’s the company’s publishing arm also released UK reprints of American RPGs such as Call of Cthulhu, Runequest, Traveller and Middle Earth Role Playing, which were expensive to import.
1980’s
Games Workshop grew though the 1980’s and saw 250 employees on its payroll by the end of the decade.
In 1982 Rick Preistley and Jervis Johnson both joined Games Workshop (Priestley joining Citadel Miniatures). Brian Ansell the manager of Citadel asked Rick Priestley to develop a medieval-fantasy wargame that would be given free to customers to encourage them to buy more miniatures. a year later and Warhammer Fantasy Battles was released in 1983 and was quickly followed by more of their own games such as Blood Bowl (1986) and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (1987).
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader
In 1984 Games Workshop stopped distribution of its products in the US through independent hobby game distributors and instead opened its Games Workshop (US) office.
1990’s
1991 saw a management buyout for by Tom Kirby and Brian Ansell, when Livingstone and Jackson sold them their shares for £10 million.
Games Workshop went on to refocus their efforts on Warhammer Fantasy Battles and Warhammer 40,000, their most lucrative lines. They also targeted a younger audience which brought them great success but saw it lose some of its older fan base.
Games Workshop was now expanding across Europe, North America and Australia and the company was soon purchased by private equity firm ECI Partners and floated on the London Stock Exchange in October 1994.
In October 1997 all UK based operations were relocated to a new headquarters in Lenton, Nottingham.
Timeline
1975 – Founded by John Peake, Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson.
1975 – Deal with TSR to be the exclusive seller of Dungeons and Dragons on Europe.
1976 – John Peake leaves Games Workshop
1977 – the first White Dwarf is published
1978 – Games Workshop open their first store in Hammersmith, London.
1979 – Citadel Miniatures founded
1982 – Rick Priestley and Jervis Johnson join Games Workshop.
1983 – Warhammer Fantasy Battles of first published
1986 – Blood Bowl is first published
1987 – Warhammer 40,000 is first published.
1991 – Management buyout by Brian Ansell and Tom Kirby who focus the company on their own in-house games.
1994 – Company purchased by Private Equity firm ECI
1994 – Floated on the London Stock Exchange
1997 – Moves headquarters to Lenton, Nottingham.
2001 – Games Workshop acquires the rights to produce Lord of the Rings tabletop games.
2015 – Games Workshop switches their Fantasy wargame ruleset from Warhammer Fantasy Battles to Warhammer Age of Sigmar.
2017 – Tom Kirby steps down
The Woeful Brush Painting Competition Sponsored by SCN Hobby World
Closing date for entries 30th November. £1 entry, win your choice of a Start Collecting or Combat Patrol box set!
Ok, first question. When did you first get into wargaming?
I first played in 1989 on the floor of a friend’s living room! We played Space Marine 1st Edition (the Epic game that came after the Titan only version). I played Blood Angels (unpainted) and he played Ultramarines also unpainted!
Already getting ready for Heresy!!
So was Space Marine the first game you collected an army for?
Yes, blood angels but I didn’t really know what I was doing. I bought 2nd Ed warhammer and played some 2nd Ed Blood Bowl but it was the 3rd Ed warhammer starter set with Goblins and Elves that got me collecting… and I immediately knew I wanted to play goblins… which was great because another friend liked the Elves.
Do you still have those first Goblins you bought?
Definitely have some of them. They are the monopose ones with spear and bow. I have a unit of the bow Gobbos in my AoS Gloomspite army.
So what drew into the hobby? What do you find it gives you?
I love all the many facets. I first did it to play with friends then at Uni I only did the painting side as there was no club there (but I got into board games there). Now I paint in the evenings so I’m not just staring at a screen all day and then go to some tournaments. With COVID this was obviously not allowed but my wife is very good about me going to tournaments at weekends so I’ve got quite a few organised before Christmas.
What’s your most memorable gaming moment?
I was playing GG with allied Gitmob grots at Sheffield Slaughter against Nurgle with their first book. It was against a GW employee who I won’t name as they get enough grief! His Great Unclean One had a -1 to hit within 12″ bubble. My shaman cast a spell on 60 Gitmob archers, who walked into the 12″ range, fired at the GUO and took it off! He was a little shocked but took it very well!
You’ve been to many tournaments now, are there any armies you particularly fear when you see their name on the list?
I’m okay with most although if I’ve got my Gitz there’s a fear for all of them! More seriously it’s more the player than the army in most cases. Sure Tzeentch/Archeon before the FAQ or Nagash and friends is very difficult but they aren’t pick up and play lists.
The worst thing for me is playing against a shooting army that can’t be caught or can do so much damage I can’t get close enough. I think GW routinely underpoint shooting units. Still I have a unit of 60 Shootas which are almost as expensive as 30 sentinels so they must be as good! 🤞
Hahaha! So if Gloomspite were to get a new Battletome what changes would you like to see?
Removal of ‘Keyword Bingo’ – Fanatics are not Grots for example and the Fungoid Shaman can’t have the Wizard Artefacts. A few bonuses to cast. Giving back some cheap units (we lost units of 5 Hoppers and 6 Squigs in the GHB2021 but Aetherwings are still allowed in 3s!) I’d like to see each of the four ways to play the army work (Grots, Troggs, Squigs, Spiders). New models for Spider Riders and Spider Boss. Simplify the Gobbapalooza. And give us a theme rather than just ‘comedy’. And finally… they need to point random movement correctly. Boingrots seem to be pointed like they always roll a 12″, so either reduce randomness (6+D6) or reduce points. Sure it runs the risk of everything working and us being unstoppable for one game in 36… but stops us losing the other 35!!…. I’ll get off my soapbox now 😀
It would make sense to point random movement a little more than the average dice roll in my opinion.
They definitely point it as if you get the maximum! Definitely not the average. Bounders are 7″ movement cavalry but pointed very high!
So apart from Age of Sigmar, which other games do you play?
I play a lot of board games and keep track of them on Boardgamegeek. This year there’s been a lot of Hanabi, 7 Wonders and Terraforming Mars. I find it really interesting to see all the different rules available the interactions and how theme is dealt with.
For wargames I like historical but haven’t played recently. I have a 2000 point ‘War and Conquest’ Saxon army and loads of painted Greeks and Macedonians. This game was designed by Rob Broom who was head of GW Historical before they stopped the line.
Declan’s Warmaster Goblins
I also play lots of Warmaster and have an Empire army and recently painted Goblin army and a Macedonian Army for Ancients. Its such a great rules set that generalises the units and make maneoveur and where you charge the key element.
Some of Declan’s 15mm miniatures for ParWars
Have you ever been tempted to write your own rules for a game?
I keep thinking I’d like to design a board game but with so many releases now it needs to be good to be a commercial success. Normally I’m happy to play with rules friends are using… during lockdown I Painted a 15mm army for ParWars for example just to give me more potential games and opponents.
What was the last game your played, and against who?
2000 points against Will’s KO at the club (Chumps). I was trying out my Gitz and he was trying a slightly off meta KO list with some units deployed on the board not in boats. I made a deployment mistake with my Spider and he killed it turn one, but such that I couldn’t counter in my turn 1. I also wasn’t aggressive enough with my unit of 60 Shootas as I was worried about Unleash Hell. When I did charge though it was fine! It was a close loss and very useful game.
What are you working on at the minute, and do you have any pictures?
I am doing some scenery for Kill Team having just finished a quick Genestealer Kill Team (which is an article!!).
Name one game you would love to see be remade by GW.
My gut feeling is warmaster because I’d like to see the toys they would sculpt, but I would be worried about them changing the game… so I’ll say Battlefield Gothic or a re-release of Cursed City.
Magnus did nothing wrong! Yes or No?
Magnus — He did nothing wrong!
If you were to fall to chaos which power would you devote yourself to?
Nurgle… I have in the past played a small Warhammer Fantasy Chaos army in a very fetching putrid green!
