All posts by Declan and Eeyore

Black Library, Declan Walters, Games Workshop

Book Review – The End and the Death (Vol 1)

March 7, 2023 Declan and Eeyore Leave a comment

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Book 8, volume 1, of Siege of Terra by Dan Abnett

Dan Abnett returns for the Epic conclusion to the Horus Heresy and the Siege of Terra… well sort of, this is volume 1 of that epic ending…!

From the book:

The arch-traitor Horus Lupercal’s forces have bombarded Terra and the Imperial Palace lies in ruins. With the Emperor’s dream in tatters, he seeks only to rob Chaos of its ultimate victory…
It’s the beginning of the ultimate conclusion to the Horus Heresy, and hope still remains for the Loyalists! The Emperor plans a gambit that could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat – but at what cost?

There is no way out. The walls have fallen, the gates are breached, and the defenders are slain. It is the end and the death. After seven brutal years of civil war, the Warmaster stands on the verge of victory. Horus Lupercal, once beloved son, has come to murder his father. The Emperor, a shining beacon of hope to many, an unscrupulous tyrant to others, must die. The lives of uncountable numbers have been extinguished and even primarchs, once thought immortal, have been laid low. The Emperor’s dream lies in tatters, but there remains a sliver of hope. Now, at the final hour of the final day, the Emperor rises. With him come his Angel, his Praetorian, and his Captain, all determined to enact terrible vengeance. Yet the hope is slim, for the Warmaster sees all and knows all, and the ultimate victory of Chaos is at hand.

Review

The book starts much as the rest of the Siege with vignettes from the fighting on Terra which is a great way to demonstrate the global nature of the conflict. Abnett interspersed these stories with discussions from Horus on his father and brothers a Malcador talking about the Emperor. Both include great further snippets from the past and how the Emperor got to where he finds himself. Sure, it doesn’t all make sense especially when they discuss pre 21st century history, but its fun watching Malcador and Horus separately talk of the weaving of the fates!

As the battle on the surface continues Ol and John Gramiticus work their own plans with the mysterious help of Alpharius and the Sons of Horus eventually call on their father to lead them in the final battle… but he’s not the man he was… he has fallen! Meanwhile the White Scars have control of the ground batteries and are targeting the fleet and a force from the 1st Legion – The Dark Angels – have taken over the Astronomican – but with the edict of Nikaea in place can they do anything to bring it back?

The Primarchs are starting to prepare for the final battle as well. Sanguinius and Dorn approach the Emperor whilst the Khan is at death’s door and Vulkan makes his way back through the webway after dealing with Magnus.

It’s fair to say there is a lot going on, and this wouldn’t be the book you would start with, but it’s got some great things to recommend it. I really like the way that Malcador is in the first person – and Horus Lupercal in the second… with all other stories being in the third person. It takes a bit of time to get used to, but its a great way of telling the reader which protagonist is currently centre stage.

As mentioned above the vignettes or ‘fragments’ also aid the reader in understanding the scale of the war with some fragments being returned to and others ending in death or defeat. Many of them are outside the eternity gate where Sanguinius has locked out loyalist and traitor alike and there are individual battles and heroism and evil!

The End and the Death also continues the Horus Heresy series in not have too much action from the point of view of the Primarchs or the Emperor. It is not possible to have nothing from them, but the reader is firmly given the impression that the Siege of Terra is being won (and lost) by the unnumbered masses; and not by the Primarchs. It’s a great way to make the book easier to ‘get into’ and emphasise with the protagonists.

Conclusion

It is difficult to recommend this book to anyone who hasn’t read the rest of the Siege of Terra but it is a great start to the final series in the Horus Heresy / Siege of Terra series and – whilst we don’t know how many volumes it is – I eagerly look forward to the next installment.

— Declan

Check out the full list of Book Reviews we’ve done on Woehammer here

Black Library, Declan Walters, Games Workshop

Book Review – Protector

February 19, 2023 Declan and Eeyore 2 Comments

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A story of Athens by Conn Iggulden

I love historical fiction, and have read many of the ‘big’ series released over the years including Sharpe, Hornblower, and Master & Commander. So, I was very happy to receive Protector as a Christmas present as I was in the middle of Gates of Athens at the time and thoroughly enjoying it.

From the book:

Themistocles stands as the battle-scarred leader of Athens. Yet he is no nobleman and is distrusted by many. But those who stand against him cannot argue with two things: his victories as a warrior, and the vast Persian army heading their way . . .

And so Themistocles must fight. Fight the invaders. Fight the allies who despise him. Fight for his city. As the Persians draw close, he must prove himself again and again in battle. Because history belongs to the courageous . .

The Gates of Athens was led by Xanthippus, and – whilst Xanthippus is still a main character – the lead here is Themistocles. The Persians have burned Athens and , and this time they aim to burn Athens to the ground under the leadership of Xerxes. The Athenians have retreated to the island of Salamis and there is a huge naval battle, where the Persians outnumber the Greeks (including Spartans, Corinthians and others). It is a battle that would make the western civilization possible.

Conn Iggulden brings the events and people to life from both the Greek and Persian sides. It is a book written from the views of the Greeks with the the Persian’s being the ‘others’ in the stories – as the ancient sources from Greek did so before him. His descriptions of the battles are as good as in his other books, but it is the building of the era and the atmosphere that makes the book so good. Iggulden has clearly visited the modern Greek locations and describes them in vivid detail… including those aspects no longer there such as the Spartan wall across the Peloponnese behind which they hid.

It’s definitely different from the Warhammer and Warhammer 40k universes that we normally inhabit here on Woehammer, but if you fancy a bit of a change or inspiration for an historic era to get involved in… you can do a lot worse than reading Iggulden’s books.

— Declan

Check out the full list of Book Reviews we’ve done on Woehammer here

Black Library, Declan Walters, Games Workshop

Book Review – Prophet of the Waaagh!

February 12, 2023 Declan and Eeyore Leave a comment

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A Warhammer 40k tale from Nate Crowley

Ghazghkull Thraka has been part of the Warhammer 40k world for (almost) ever and is the epitome of Orks. He may be occasionally defeated but he’s always come back, bigger badder and angrier.

From the book:

Of the billions of greenskins who swarm the galaxy, only the name of one strikes fear into the hearts of human and xenos alike: Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka.
The Warlord of Warlords.
The Beast of Armageddon.
The Prophet of the Waaagh!
With his tusks, fists, and power claw, he does the holy work of Gork and Mork – and soon all worlds will burn in his bootprints.

Mystery shrouds how such a beast came to exist, and rumours abound that the mighty warlord was once just like any other ork. But if that is the case, how did his ascendance come to be? Many have lost their minds trying to unravel the mystery. Lord Inquisitor Tytonida Falx has headed into the murky depths of heresy to find the answer, only this time, something is different. She possesses something the others did not. Custody of the one creature in the universe who claims to know the truth of it all. Ghazghkull’s banner bearer: Makari the Grot.

Ghazghkull has always had the Grot, Makari, at his side since the beginning and so it is no understatement to say that the diminutive little greenskin knows Ghazghkull better than any other living creature in the Warhammer 40k galaxy. When he is captured by the Imperium the Inquisition want to use Makari to find out about the biggest and badest Ork there ever was.

This is more a long novella than a full book, but it is great fun none-the-less with short stories from the history of the Prophet of the Waaagh! As I’ve missed a few of the latest Ork Codexes this was a great way to catch-up with his story and hear from the Imperium of Man about the impact of this unique Ork (and his Grot/Gretchin side-kick). Their unbeliveable survival despite defeats, and their climb to the very top of a huge Waaagh is well told and great fun.

If you’re a fan of Orks you’ve probably already read it, but as one of few Xenos books, with Xenos victories its a great addition to the Black Library and I’m happy to recommend it.

— Declan

Check out the full list of Book Reviews we’ve done on Woehammer here

Black Library, Declan Walters, Games Workshop

Book Review – Krieg

February 5, 2023 Declan and Eeyore Leave a comment

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A Death Korps of Krieg Astra Militarum Story by Steve Lyons

After the Christmas break, I find myself getting back to work, but it does have an advantage – time to listen to great audio books. And who doesn’t love a bit of Astra Militarum / Imperial Guard. These tend to be the books that are most commonly released by Black Library and it was Gaunt’s Ghosts that relaunched Black Library!

From the book:

Krieg is a dead world.

Fifteen hundred years ago, it declared its independence from the Imperium of Man, and paid the price. One loyal soul defied its treacherous rulers, and laid the world to waste. From these ashes emerged a unique fighting force, forged and tempered in nuclear fire…

Today, the Death Korps of Krieg lay siege to a captured hive city on the outskirts of the system-spanning Octarius War, in a desperate attempt to secure the cordon that stops untold masses of Orks and Tyranids from spilling out into the Imperium at large. The Korpsmen are relentless, ruthless, implacable, and unstoppable, even in the face of a war that seems unwinnable. How far will they go to achieve victory, and is history doomed to repeat itself?

Krieg is a two interwoven stories about the Death Korp of Krieg. The first is a current siege of a captured hive city, the second is the origin story of the regiments. And – for me at least – the origin story is the most interesting half of the book. Of course, the current day story has Orks, Tryanids, brave (or reckless) Imperial Guard, Cadians fighting alongside Death Korp troops… and an Inquisitor; but the origin story is new (to me at least) and is a great explanation of how Krieg is where it is now.

And where is it now; well it’s a dead world in the middle of nuclear winter but still able to produce regiments of renown to fight for the Emperor in all fields of the eternal war for survival. They have their rebreathers, lasguns, greatcoats, but most importantly their bravery – which could almost be called fanaticism… if that didn’t go against the Emperor.

In the past, Krieg is fighting a vicious civil war against traitors to the Emperor, and Colonel Jurten is fighting them despite being outnumbered and outgunned. The origin story included in Krieg is essential his story as well as the origin story of the regiment. And I loved it – it fits in very well with the Warhammer 40k background – it’s not good (Jurten himself talks about degrees of evil), but it does show the lengths the Imperium will go-to to keep itself alive and reminds the reader that there are no ‘good guys’ in the Warhammer 40k universe – just a lot of bad things happening and being forced on people.

And so it asks the question – ‘could you?’ or ‘could we?’; which was asked so much in 50s and 60s science fiction after the bombs were dropped on Japan in our own world. This is probably why I like Krieg so much.

— Declan

Check out the full list of Book Reviews we’ve done on Woehammer here

Black Library, Declan Walters, Games Workshop

Book Review – Fire Made Flesh

January 10, 2023 Declan and Eeyore Leave a comment

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A Necromunda story by Denny Flowers

Before I begin, jus a quick thank you to Peter for designing our new Featured images. I like the simplicity, but also that it brings many of our articles under a common theme. Ta Peter! Do let us know what you think of them on our Discord.

My reading over Christmas was limited with family and time off for a new addition to the family, but I did manage to get Fire Made Flesh by Denny Flowers finished – and I love Necromunda stories.

From the book:

The Fallen Dome of Periculus, once a hub of sanctioned commerce and illicit dealings, is lost no more… and the prizes it holds are sought by noble, Guilder, and hive scum alike. For Tempes Sol of the Guild of Light, Periculus is an opportunity to not only prove his superiority over his superstitious peers but also to see the end of Lord Silas Pureburn, Keeper of the God-Emperor’s Eternal Flame, bringer of fire and faith to the rioting masses, and his most hated rival.

But Periculus did not fall by chance. Dark secrets lurk in its shadows – forbidden archeotech, twisted creatures that feast on flesh, and an insidious rage afflicts all who dwell inside its confines. As madness and violence erupt within the fallen dome, the legacy of Periculus threatens not only to consume the underhive, but ultimately Hive Primus itself.

Necromunda (like Imperial Guard books) are amongst my favourite of the Warhammer 40k universe, because they involve (mostly) ordinary humans just trying to survive in the Grim Darkness of the Far Future where there is only war. It makes the characters much more relatable than the super warriors of the Space Marines, or the intrigue of the Eldar. With all that said, what was Fire Made Flesh like?

It begins with Periculus being discovered by a Goliath gang, but unlike the game of Necromunda this is not about the gangs, or a gang war – it is about other denizens of the underhive – from pit fighters to ratskin scouts, from Pureburn to Tempes Sol (from the upper-hive). Lord Silas Pureburn puts all his resources into ensuring any archeotech found in Periculus benefits him. But he’s not the only one in the hive interested in the new location and hivers come from far and wide to make their fortunes.

This is a great little book, with one shortfall – there were just too many characters for me and too many interwoven plots for me to follow all of them. That said it was still a fun read and a must read for those who lie Necromunda – however it probably wouldn’t be a good introduction into the world of Warhammer 40k.

— Declan

Check out the full list of Book Reviews we’ve done on Woehammer here

Games Workshop

Hobby Update – Dwarf Blood Bowl Team

January 9, 2023 Declan and Eeyore Leave a comment

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11 Dwarf Blood Bowl Players

Day four of my Blood Bowl updates and the last one for a while. So I finished with a strong team – Dwarfs!

You can check out my Orcs, Skaven and Human teams from previous days if the tough little blighters are not your thing!

As with the other teams the Dwarfs were assembled and so just needed a spray undercoat and they were ready to go. I decided to go a little different for these guys and use a metallic base – Retributor armour. And, as everyone who follows cricket will know – green and gold go together; so the off-colour was chosen as well!

Blood Bowl Dwarf Team

The box set comes with 6 Dwarf Blocker Linemen, 2 Runners, 2 Blitzers and 2 Troll Slayers. Unfortunately the Troll Slayers have a single connection to the base, and one of mine broke. So in keeping with my intent to keep things quick I’ve put it to one side and will return to it later.

As I mentioned above the base of the models is Chaos Black and then a very heavy drybrush of Retributor Armour for the bright gold look. I have then picked out a few of panels in Leadbelcher, to get a little contrast.

The hair is Wild Rider Red for the Troll Slayer (got to have bright orange hair for a Troll Slayer) and then grey, brown and black for the other models.

And the under armour/cloth is Warboss Green – a great colour with good coverage over black and the gold.

I really like how they’ve come together and the spotty green flock on the bases make them a little different from the other Blood Bowl teams I’ve already painted.

How do they play?

Dwarfs have Block – lots of it! So your guys are not falling over too often and ‘Both Down’ results don’t result in a turnover – great news. But there is a downside – Dwarfs are expensive with the Linesmen costing 70,000 each (compared with 50,000 for most non-Elf teams), and they are slow (movement 4 for the Linemen). You’ll need to defend in depth otherwise the quicker teams will have scored 3 times before you get enough space to make it through.

Whatever you do, when you get the ball, don’t give it up – you’ll need it and you need to keep your opponent away from it! This all makes Dwarfs a good team, but difficult for beginners so don’t worry if you lose a few games – they are a great team once the skills start rolling in.

Woe Points and Hobby Bingo

This also contributes to two of the methods I’m trying to use to reduce the pile of shame or potential! Woe Points is -11 for this group (so -23 so far in 2023) and another square of Hobby Bingo which I’ll ask Peter to update for me!

Buying a Box

You can pick up a box at Element Games (UK), or at Not Just Gamin’ (US) and support Woehammer(*); or pop into your FLGS.

— Declan and Eeyore

(*) affiliate link

Games Workshop

Hobby Update – Human Bowl Team

January 8, 2023 Declan and Eeyore Leave a comment

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12 Human Blood Bowl Players

Regular readers and followers of my update will know I’ve recently finished two Blood Bowl teams, and this update is a third. And it’s a return to another classic – this time with Humans.

These were also already assembled and I decided to do these in traditional colours – or at least predominately… so I opened up another my commonly used colours and went with – blue!

Blood Bowl Human Team

The box set comes with 6 Human Linemen, 2 Throwers, 2 Blitzers and 2 Catchers.

The Blood Bowl teams are (so far) all great fun to paint. These required a little more work, because I needed to do the underarmour/cloth first and decided to do this in red as a different contrast to the traditional bone/white options.

I then went over the armour panels in Caledor Blue which has great coverage over most colours – including the rough bits of red I’d left behind. In this team I also decided to add a few different colours and skin colours – so there are some different colour shoes (including Golden Boots), and some darker skin players to add much needed variety.

How do they play?

Humans are the other original team, with the Orcs painted recently and they are the definition of all-rounders. They have reasonable armour, can participate on the line of scrimmage and pass and catch (although be wary of high agility teams intercepting the ball).

The catchers are the most fragile of the players and so are likely to not be involved in all the drives, but if you can keep them alive there’s always the possibility of a quick score as well as the ability to break into any Orc ‘cages’ that your opponent may have set-up.

Woe Points and Hobby Bingo

I also get credit for this with Woe Points and Hobby Bingo… so that is -12 Woe Points already and a square ticked off.

Buying a Box

You can pick up a box at Element Games (UK), or at Not Just Gamin’ (US) and support Woehammer(*); or pop into your FLGS.

— Declan and Eeyore

(*) affiliate link

Games Workshop

Hobby Update – Skaven Blood Bowl Team

January 7, 2023 Declan and Eeyore Leave a comment

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14 Skaven Blood Bowl Players

Hot on the heels of the Orc Blood Bowl Team being completed, I decided I would try to get a few more teams finished… and next on the pile was always going to be the Skaven. I’ve loved the Skaven Blood Bowl team since the 2nd Edition (the original one, not the reboot!) as it is the polar opposite of the Orc team.

Low armour, good agility and 1 turn touchdown scoring Gutter Runners (with a few skills and movement increases. What’s not to like.

Blood Bowl Skaven Team

The box set comes with 6 Skaven Clanrat Linemen, 2 SkavenThrowers, 2 Stormvermin and 2 Gutter Runners. I added to this 2 Rat Ogres for a bit of beef in the team. Also who doesn’t like Big Guys?

I painted these using elements of ‘Slap Chop’ for the skin and black cloaks and then ‘battle ready’ for the armour. I’ve not done purple/pink and yellow before and I think it works well for a small force – not sure how I’d feel about it on a full Skaven army in Age of Sigmar or The Old World though. May be a bit too comic for that.

The skin is Volupus Pink (contrast) and the armour is Averland Sunset with a wash of Iyanden Yellow. Yellow’s are much better than when I started gaming and this is a great combo. Makes me wish we had these colours when I painted Empire – always liked Stirland (Green and Yellow).

The Rat Ogres were a suggestion by one of my Hobby Buddies – Chris Denmark. They are the Rat Ogres from the old Warhammer starter set – Island of Blood – which featured Skaven against High Elves. I used them here without conversion – just a change of base shape. I have used a slightly larger base than used in most Blood Bowl models but as long as they don’t stand next to each other too often it should be fine to have a little overlap of the squares.

How do they play?

As mentioned above Skaven are fast… lightning fast. The Throwers combine very well with the Gutter Runners to produce some very quick touchdowns and I’ve been 3-0 up with Skaven before half-time in games under the previous edition.

With mutations they are also a team that opens itself up to converting if you want to, or buying small expansions from Forgeworld.

The Rat Ogres provide a little extra bulk, but they can be a liability as they can be easily surrounded and brought down as the Gutter Runners rush through the gaps – be careful of teams that like to foul like Goblins and Snotlings – they can take out the big guys surprisingly quickly.

Buying a Box

You can pick up a box at Element Games (UK), or at Not Just Gamin’ (US) and support Woehammer(*); or pop into your FLGS.

— Declan and Eeyore

(*) affiliate link
PS – These don’t count towards my ‘Woepoints‘ in 2023 because I actually finished them between Christmas aand New year 2022!

Games Workshop

Hobby Update – Orc Blood Bowl Team

January 6, 2023 Declan and Eeyore 1 Comment

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12 Orc Blood Bowl Players

I’ve been struggling a bit recently to complete my Age of Darkness boxset having done all the troops I now have the Dreadnought and Spartan on the painting table, but just can’t seem to make progress. This is probably because I’ve not painted tanks in a long time!

So, I took my own advice and decided for a change… but I wanted something with a definite end. Fortunately I’ve got a lot of the new Blood Bowl teams which have been unpainted on a shelf since the re-release.

The major advantage here was they were already assembled so I could get straight to it. And the first team was clear… Orcs!

Blood Bowl Orc Team

The box set comes with 6 Orc Linemen, 2 Orc Throwers, 2 Orc Blitzers and 2 Big Un Blockers.

2 Big Un Blockers (painted with darker skin)

They didn’t take very long to paint but are none-the-less lovely models and take undercoat and paint nicely. The team also comes with some coins that you can paint, but I’ve not got to them!

The scheme is very much inspired by the original Gouged Eye team but also by my available paints for my AoS armies and Blood Angels… so red all the way! It doesn’t show perfectly in the pictures, but I’ve used Khorne Red and Mephiston Red to give a little variety.

How do they play?

Orcs are one of the original two teams and they can play in all types of drives in Blood Bowl but they are mostly about hitting and not getting injured, with AV (armour value) of 10+ for most of the models except Throwers.

And if things get desperate and you find yourself behind on the scoreboard then a throw to a Blitzer is always a possibility… but keep some team re-rolls available as nothing has catch.

Buying a Box

You can pick up a box at Element Games (UK), or at Not Just Gamin’ (US) and support Woehammer(*); or pop into your FLGS.

— Declan and Eeyore

(*) affiliate link
PS – These don’t count towards my ‘Woepoints‘ or Hobby Bingo in 2023 because I actually finished them between Christmas aand New year 2022!