Just a small week for pre-orders as we go into Christmas. with some reinforcements for Blood Bowl. When Blood Bowl first launched there was some excitement that we might get a new Chaos Dwarf team (and maybe we will) but this week sees the return of the old/"classic" Chaos Dwarf Team & the Bull Centaur as Made To Order. Chaos Dwarves have a real cult following (with a number of third-party companies making great versions of them), so it will be interesting to see how this goes and if it leads to a plastic boxed set down the line.  With only those in the miniature releases, we have a new hardcover - ​The Court of the Blind King - with not only an excellent cover but also an insight into the Idoneth Deepkin. Maybe we'll see exactly how much like the Dark Eldar they are in personality since their mini range is so similar. It's also time for the "gift-filled" White Dwarf December 2019​. It's a real pity it's not a free miniature, but seems like GW doesn't do that anymore.

The day has come - the brand new Chaos Warriors and expanded Slaves To Darkness are here. In an unusual move, Games Workshop have put the new Chaos Warriors, Chaos Knights and a new General in a new Start Collecting! Slaves to Darkness set. These are mono-pose miniatures, so it makes a bit more sense, but also begs the question; were these meant to be an adversary in a different collection? To Go with the new minis, there's the brand new Slaves To Darkness Battletome which comes in Dark & Spiky Limited Edition and of course Bow Before Me! Standard Edition. As with all new Age of $igmar army releases, we also get the new Endless Spells set and the Warscroll Cards - no dice though #sadface! Part of the new Battletome is to expand the forces of the Slaves To Darkness. which now include the forces from the Warcry game, so we get sets of Cypher Lords,  Corvus Cabal, The Unmade, Iron Golem, The Splintered Fang, and Untamed Beasts, but with double the miniatures, but not double the price! Speaking of Warcry, two of the scenery sets from that, the Azyrite Ruined Chapel and the Azyrite Shattered Plaza, are now available separately. In yet more related Warcry news, the Warcry: Tome of Champions is on it's way with with rules for all the other factions in Age of $igmar - even the Seraphon get a mention!
The big boyz of the Ork fleet arrive with the new Aeronautica Imperialis Grot Bommers. These minis don't seem to be getting much love, but there's something Miyazaki about them, so we could be tempted...
Blood Bowl steams along, this time with the new Fire Mountain Gut Busters, the Ogre Team Card Pack, Ogre Team Dice, the Blood Bowl Ogre Team Pitch & Dugouts mat set, Spike! Journal Issue 8, and The 2019 Blood Bowl Almanac which compiles Spike! Journal, issues 4-7  plus an updated FAQ and more.
The Blackstone Fortress Annual 2019 is out next week with new content and also the articles from White Dwarf from December 2018 to December 2019. Interestingly it's softcover!
Middle-Earth has such a cult following, and the recent book releases continue with War in Rohan for Lord of the Rings. Adding new terrain to the system, we get the Rohan House and Rohan Watchtower and Palisades which can be combined to build a walled town, plus there's new Isengard Dice Set. The usual round of re-release miniatures get a run too, with a particularly nice set of Saruman the White & Gríma. The rest have been released a few times before, so I won't bore you with their relisting.
There is a cool book release next week though - the Sabbat Worlds Crusade by Dan Abnett. This is a background book that tells the story of this campaign, but there's also some extra stuff to go along with it, including a Sabbat Worlds Crusade Map in the form of a rolled faux-leather scroll, The Sabbat Worlds Crusade Pin Badges and The Sabbat Worlds Crusade Coaster Set. All Sabbat, all the time!
In other books, Spear of The Emperor, originally a limited edition hard cover with decals and extra stuff is finally out in paperback!

It's been some time since the Blood Angels got some love, but with the next part of Psychic Awakening (and bravo to GW for getting these out so quickly BTW) we see not only the Blood Angels in action, but a pretty damn spectacular new model in the Primaris-ified Mephiston, Lord of Death. With an alternate arm, he goes form Mark Gibbons drawing to plasma toting bad-arse!
The Psychic Awakening: Blood of Baal book itself comes in Nosferatu Is My Homeboy Collector's Edition or Look Mum, We're Bright Red Again Standard Edition. Either way, Blood Angels players are notoriously picky with their fluff, so it will be interesting to see what the fan base thinks. For thos very dedicated fans out there there is the Darkness in the Blood (Limited Edition) by Guy Haley which tells the story of the new Primaris Space Marines and Commander Dante, who has been made warden of Imperium Nihilus, doing what Blood Angels do best - be all angsty with inner demons. Of course anyone who orders Psychic Awakening: Blood of Baal from the webstore will also get the Datasheet Cards.
Still on Warhammer 40K, the Chapter Approved 2019 Edition is on it's way, which not only combines the White Dwarf articles from throughout the year, but also gives you rules for the tank and vehicle expansion Spearhead, plus rules on how to link your games of Kill Team, Warhammer 40,000 and Apocalypse. There's also a supplement with it that gives you all the updates points costs for your units. There's also a Warlord Edition, with a pad of 50 tear out army roster sheets, 2 game trackers, and 3 packs of cards featuring content taken directly from the Chapter Approved book, available as handy references.
Speaking of Kill Team, the Kill Team Annual 2019 is next week too, with compiling all of the rules from White Dwarf over the year, plus points updates, rules for using Sisters of Battle, Kroot Mercenaries and Chaos Daemons kill teams, as well as units from Blackstone Fortress. You can also create your own specialisms (is that a real word?).
The Battleforces are a bit early this year, but we have them again, some tweaked, some new - there's the Blood Angels Crimson Spear Strike Force, T'au Empire Starclaimer Hunter Cadre (another great core Tau set), Chaos Space Marines Vengeance Warband, Drukhari Poisonblade Raiding Party, Space Wolves Talons of Morkai, the massive Tyranids Bioswarm, Nighthaunt Court of the Craven King, Gloomspite Gitz Caveshroom Loonz, Skaven Corrupting War-swarm, probably the nicest Stormcast box ever - Stormcast Eternals Exorcism Soulstrike and for the Titanicus players, Knight Household Battleforce.
Blood Angels also get a book - the Mephiston-focused City of Light, there's a new Warhammer Horror anthology Invocations, the horror novel Dark Harvest. Horus Heresy gets Born of Flame re-released and the Black Library Advent Subscription 2019 begins giving you the 12 audio dramas, 12 digital shorts and 2 digital novel premieres for 26 stories for the price of 17.

Although the updates have been few and far between, there has actually been a lot of movement on the War Hounds Legion force. It may just be one or two minis a week, but slowly it's getting bigger all the time with new units forming and a more cohesive look to the markings and feel of the army. Today I was very happy to finish the Tactical Support squad, with their super-fluffy Volkite weaponry. This unit spans a bit of time - actually having the very first War Hound I ever painted amongst its ranks.

For more pics and detailed write up, go to the Project: War Hounds section

After many weeks of new releases, we have a Made To Order week this week. Sadly though we have been offered these miniatures already reasonably recently, so it's nothing super-special, but it does tie into the rules for the Inquisition in a recent White Dwarf.
The excellent Confessor Kyrinov, Witch Hunter Inquisitor with Power Sword, Witch Hunter Inquisitor with Inferno Pistol, Witch Hunter Inquisitor with Plasma Pistol (a personal favourite) and the Daemonhunter Inquisitor with Grimoire round out the Inquisitors, while we also get two Daemonhosts; Daemonhost 1 and Daemonhost 2 whose names will be sadly lost in the Imperial canon somewhere - their sacrifice in vain.
There's also a collection of Imperial Assassins - and even though they say these are "classic models" there are not the original incarnations of these characters - Eversor Assassin, Culexus Assassin, Vindicare with Exitus Rifle and the Callidus Assassin.
In books this week, we have the Trollslayer: 20th Anniversary Edition telling the story of Gotrek Gurnisson in William King's classic novel, there's also two hardback collections of short stories set in the Horus Heresy - Age of Darknessand The Primarchs, plus three classic Horus Heresy stories in hardback - Know No Fear, Deliverance Lost and The Outcast Dead.
A respite from the recent avalanche of new releases - maybe next week well finally see those awesome new Chaos Warriors! 

We were talking about this the other day, but there's been this constant "where are the Sisters of Battle?/ We need Sisters of Battle in plastic" emanating from the Community for year - it's been a constant bugbear, seemingly. But come the week leading up to their long awaited release, the Community went very quiet... until the boxed set sold out!
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2019 sees the reemergence of the Sisters of Battle - the Adepta Sororitas, and instead of the amazing multi-part kits we have seen previewed, we get what is effectively a gift box, a one stop shop for all things Battle Nuns (such a better name, you have to admit!). The Sisters of Battle Army Set has 25 new plastic miniatures, the Adepta Sororitas Codex, the Adepta Sororitas Datacards, Miracle Dice (literally normal GW dice), a Transfer Sheet and the 40KCore Rules. This is effectively EVERYTHING you will need to field them and for that you do pay a price for this set! The multi=part minis look a lot more interesting, frankly, but this is a great start and might be an insight into more all-in-one boxes for armies including full Codex.
Psychic Awakening rumbles on, with the new chapter - Faith and Fury - out next week, This promises rules for the Chaos Legions, Chaplains, Techmarines, Librarians, Apothecaries etc etc. As usual there are two versions of the book, Kneel Before Zod Standard Edition and the Purge The Unclean Collectors Edition. Now of interest here is that the Collectors Edition, for the very first time that we know of, actually has bonus content for spending twice the price; an expanded background section which features brand-new narrative (so not copy and paste?) and three short stories based around Psychic Awakening. All in all it's only 18 extra pages, but really interesting and about time! Excitingly there is also a brand new Chaos Space Marines Sorcerer in plastic - and it's awesome. Single pose, with the option to include the magic on his hand or not. This seems like a must have for any Chaos army.
Some new releases for Warhammer Underworlds: Beastgrave with Rippa’s Snarlfangs available with the requisite Dice Pack and Premium Card Sleeves. The Champions of Dreadfane set also introduces Lady Harrow’s Mournflight and Ironsouls Condemnors to the game, if that is your want and desire. There are of course the Ironsoul's Condemnors Card Sleeves and Lady Harrow's Mournflight Card Sleeves. Now here's a release I just do not understand - the Warhammer Underworlds: Beastgrave Gift Pack is some cards and some cardboard. Go look at the price - go on... right! How??
There's two Start Collecting sets out too - Start Collecting! Vanguard Space Marines and Start Collecting! Chaos Space Marines. A lot of people have been waiting for the Chaos Space Marine one for the Obliterators especially. This does mean that the old one has now been deleted form the range, so if you want it, go get it now!
Now, book time - there's a fair bit actually including the Scalper's Product of the Month, the Horus Heresy Seige of Terra Limited Editions. We're up to Book 3: The First Wall which centres on Rogal Dorn and the robust defence of the walls of Terra. Also in pretty books, the Mark of Faith (Special Edition) is out next week as is the Mark of Faith hardcover. Also next week is the The Great Devourer: The Leviathan Omnibus centred on the Tyranids.
As a bonus, any Faith and Fury orders through the GW webstore get the Psychic Awakening: Faith & Fury Datasheet Cards.

It's not often we get a really good look at what makes the Necrons tick. To be fair the background and varied levels of sentience of the Necrons has changed quite a lot over the years since they were first introduced. It wasn't until Gathering Storm and the character of Lord Trazyn that we had a really well developed Necron of the modern era. Rather than being the two dimensional ominous robotic overlords, we now get ancient sentient beings whose spirit is now trapped in this metallic form, with all the emotions that would probably bring up of the millions of years you'd been dealing with it. Necron characters were now explorers, warlords, librarians, collectors - a much more varied pool to draw from - which makes the newer vision of the Necrons much more interesting and builds nicely into "Severed" by Nate Crowley.

"Severed" is part of the Novella Series 2 set and benefits from this newer archetype in the form of Nemesor Zahndrekh. Zahndrekh is a warlord with supreme tactical knowledge - a tactical knowledge teamed with a very eccentic personality which lives somewhere between now and his past victories. For the reader these past victors give a great insight into the Necrontyr, but for the other main character in the story, these victories are a form of torture. Have you ever had someone tell you the same story, maybe more than twice? Well imagine being the only other "living" being around that boring storyteller - enter Zahndrekh's long suffering Vargard, Obyron, his bodyguard and equally sentient offsider who has spent millions of years at the side of his very chatty and seemingly oblivious master.

If you're a Necron fan, this will fill in some gaps for you - the relationship of dynastic heads with each other, the relationship between a Stormlord and their vassals, the levels of sentience in the ranks of the Necrons and the feelings of Necrons about each other - such as the complicated view of Destroyers. We also see the Necrons at war, the power of the Nemesors (as not only characters but also as warriors) and how much politics goes on between the master and servant, but also volatile with the dynastic heads vying for power and the favour of the Stormlord. 

The story itself is has a really great for the first half with lots of background and pieces of information for the Necron fan, while the second half then gets down into the minutia of war, with lines of supply and tactics taking centrefield. 

"Severed" is a thoroughly worthy read with great characters and a look into a xenos race that often gets stereotyped as Terminator 2 rip-offs, when they are obviously so much more. Here's hoping this is the start of more adventures with these characters, because their development in "Severed" deserves so much more. Nate Crowley does an amazing job balancing humour, action and a courtly intrigue - so much so that this is a great place to start developing the Necrons further, especially Zahndrekh, who is not only hilarious but shows us a side to the Necrontyr we don't see often.

If not for some pacing issues towards the end it would have been full marks - so four Necrons out of 5

Why is here a heap of plastic sprues to the left? Well it's not any heap of plastic - it's the birth of Zone Mortalis in plastic. If you've every played Horus Heresy, then you will know the importance of the Zone Mortalis missions, which have previously have needed the cumbersome Forge World tiles. Well with those being discontinued earlier this year, Games Workshop has remade them, in plastic and much more modular for their new Necromunda expansion, Dark Uprising! The Dark Uprising set is huge, with a new gang, new Enforcers, new plastic buildings and scenery. It's not cheap but probably well worth the value. The set comes with a cardboard mat, but if you prefer a plastic one, then there is the Zone Mortalis Floor Tile Set - 4 x 12" flat plastic tiles in the exact style of the Forge World ones. This is a huge advance - the Forge World ones were full of resin bubbles and often sunken in the middle. This is brilliant and sure to sell out. There's also a Zone Mortalis Bases Set, which looks suspiciously like the bass from the Necromunda game, which is a real shame because bases to match the new tiles would have been brilliant! There's also Necromunda Dice and the new Necomunda Book of Ruin expansion and the Underhive Graffiti Transfer Sheet. Now if you're a very good ganger and order the Dark Uprising set from the GW webstore, you will also get the Necromunda: Dark Uprising Keyring.
The Red Gobbo is up for pre-order on the GW site this morning, but interestingly a number of independent retailers had it up last week, so not sure what that's about. It's supposed to be available in store today...
There's more Middle-Earth this week with the new Evil Profile Card Pack, Good Profile Card Pack and Dwarves Profile Card Pack for The Hobbit as well as some Made To Order minis including Mirkwood Elf Captains, Young Thorin, Balin and Dwalin, Thranduil, King of Mirkwood (in all his guises), Legolas Greenleaf and Tauriel, Mirkwood Hunters and Narzug and Fimbul, Hunter Orc Captains.
An interesting one which seems oddly out of place this week, the Warcry Starter Collection has popped up.
In books we have some omnibus' - Myths & Revenants in paperback, the Warhammer Chronicles Thanquol and Boneripper in paperback, and the Blackstone Fortress anthology Vaults of Obsidian in hardback.
It's also time for White Dwarf November 2019. which includes a gallery of kitbashed Inquisitors and their retinues which could interest INQ28 and Blanchitsu hobbyists.  

Well not literally of course - technically skeletons live forever - BUT the point is, these new Chaos Warriors have us so exited and they really only seems to register a blip on the Community radar.
Apart from the same upside down shields the Mortek Guard have, these miniatures are such a generational leap beyond the now-iconic Chaos Warriors that have stalked the battlefields for decades now. Even if they are mono-pose, the dynamic nature of the poses really sets them into the area that the art for these miniatures has existed in for a long long time. 
A close look will actually show you a melding of the current Chaos Warriors and the ones that came before it - who frankly look pretty squat and sad these days but were once amazing!! The Chaos Knights are a huge improvement to the current range, who do have amazing horses, but the riders aren't that great.
One of the big winners here is the leader of this foul band of brigands who has obviously been pose a a dark reflection of the Astreia Solbright or Vandus Hammerhand or a Lord-Aquilor.
All of it is just clever stuff and although releases come and go, this one is really one to look forward to!