Fields of Blood 2013 Awards - Part II

So Part I covered the GW releases for the year, Part II will cover the remainder of the Warhammer Fantasy field.

Best Kickstarter - 2013 was really the year of the Kickstarter and there were a number of great to not so great ones. The two I single out for praise were the Secret Weapons Miniatures "Tablescapes" and the one that gets my vote Mierce Miniatures Darklands. Rising from the ashes of Maelstrom Games this Kickstarter gave discounted access to the existing Bane Legions range but also provided investment for a bunch of new sculpts.

Best Local Tournament - Ok, I'm biased but I believe that the NZ Team Championships were the tournament highlight of the year. Not only did it attract most of the top tournament gamers but it also introduced team tournaments to a lot of the locals. It is no surprise that the 2014 event sold out six months prior to the event.

Best Non-FOB Tournament - Given my best event was an FOB organised event I thought I'd award another event the seal of approval. The event I enjoyed most was the NiCon Fantasy Event in Napier in June. Away from home, a good though small field and well run by Jeff Kent. It gets my vote ahead of Panzerschreck.

Best Blog of the Year - By far the best was Raffazza Time by Raf Harbinson in London. Always insightful and thought-provoking it was great to see some in-depth comment on the game, tactics and list design.

Best Local Blog of the Year - I have to give this to Tim Joss's Plastic Krak. Tim always had early access to pictures of upcoming releases and for this alone was invaluable. Mixed in were some good insights on the game and his list design.

Best Podcast of the Year - While the quantity of Warhammer Podcasts increased over the course of the year, I'm not sure that the quality did. All too often the end results had poor production quality, were woefully unstructured or strayed way off topic and suffered from "And then I rolled a 6" syndrome. Two I did find really good were "Pointhammered" and "Skull Bros Awesome" and in general I enjoyed the US-based casts more than those frome other parts of the world. However overall my vote goes to Bad Dice Daily which was consistently good, varied in content and tight with its production values.

Most Influential Rule of the Year - the introduction of Mark of Nurgle being -1 to Hit. First Daemon Prince, Gorebeast Chariots and then GUO, Plaguebearers, Drones and especially Beasts of Nurgle infested our tables.

Best Painted Army - the best painted army I saw this year was Graeme Fry's High Elves. Technically these were top notch and while they have been on the scene for a couple of years they are still the benchmark.

Best Presented Army - Skitterleap this year saw the proliferation of display boards - it's a wonder what one point on your painting score can generate. Those that were there saw a significant uplift in the presentation standard of armies. Head and shoulders above any was Charlie Lloyd's Dark Elves complete with their own Dark Tower.

Most Innovative Player - An easy one this - Peter Williamson. He always came up with interesting lists that generated power through synergy. A lot of people dismissed his lists as weak but generally because they become focused on netlists and any deviation takes them out of their comfort zone.

Worst Gaming Accessory - Pink dice with white pips. Two podcasts released them this year - Bad Dice and Black Sun - and both sets of dice were a nightmare to play against. The colour combination didn't work. Sorry.

Best Gaming Accessory - the iPad. Especially with GW, Quartermaster and Army Builder all releasing apps. I know have lists, rules, army books and FAQs at the swipe of the finger. It is such a shame GW do not release their Army Books and Rules in iPad format here in NZ. A UK iTunes account is a must to maximise the potential.

Best New Tournament Player in 2013 - again I think this one is relatively clearcut - Jeff Kent. Jeff arrived in February and was very unlucky to eventually miss the Masters. He won his first event in Tauranga with a Lizardmen Skink Cloud and is now working on a fourth army, Dark Elves.

Fields of Blood 2013 Awards - GW Edition

It is the time of the year to do a wrapup of the year that was so without any further ado, here are my awards for 2013 - in no particular order. This first section will look at GW Fantasy releases.

Best  Infantry Model - in 2012 it was the Nurgle Chaos Lord and this year for me it clearly was Skink Priest. What a fantastic model and no wonder so many Golden Daemon painters chose it.

Worst Infantry Model - there can only be one winner this year and that is the Loremaster of Hoeth. Whoever thought it would be good to have a Swordmaster running while projecting a squid from his hand.....well, you got it wrong. Everything about this model looks wrong. Please don't do it again.

Best Warhammer Unit Models - for me these were the Plague Drones. A brand new unit and a truly inspired design. I painted up six of these models and they were a real pleasure to paint. Something GW hadn't done before and they added to the spectacle of the Daemon army. I don't think that the website paintjob does them justice.

Worst Warhammer Unit Models - there weren't any stinkers this year and so it was hard to come up with something for this. In the end I was picky. The new Dark Elf Executioners are a step back from the exquisite metal models of the previous edition. There's something about the pose that represents an opportunity lost. This may well be a function of the need to produce dual kits.

Best Warhammer Single (Non-Infantry) Model - a little bit of a cheat here as it was released at the backend of 2012. Nothing came close to the absolutely stunning Slaaneshi Chariots. Again a real triumph of design and a new take when they could have taken safe option (see entry above).

Worst Warhammer Single (Non-Infantry) Model - and from the sublime to the ridiculous. In 2012 it was the Warshrine but in 2013 there can be only one winner. The Skullcannon of Khorne. What Were They Thinking! Not only does it look out of place in the Old World its overall design is ghastly. The only redeeming feature is you can make it up as a Blood Throne....oh wait.

Best Warhammer Monster - for me there were no standout Monsters in 2013. Certainly nothing like the Araknarok Spider which is still GW's best. Probably the best was the Carnosaur which scores points for irs impressive size and the added extras you get with the kit.

Worst Warhammer Monster - This is my first tie and I can't really split what are two absolute stinkers. What is it about the Chaos Wastes that compels you to put your foot on a rock and punch your fist in the air (like you don't care). Chaos Lords do it. And now monsters do it.

So it's a tie between the Slaughterbrute and Throgg. Though looking at them together I'm now pretty sure that Throgg is slightly more dire. And at least you see him on the table.

Best Army Book - we were spoiled this year with five releases. Four were good releases in my eyes. The Lizardmen book tidied up a lot of 7th Ed hangovers but really suffered from a lack of Core choices. If anything it reinforced the netlist Skink Cloud build and introduced another underpointed Special Character, Pseudo Echo. The Daemons book had more possibilities than a bag full of weasels (though Beasts of Nurgle are 20 points undercosted IMO), while the High Elf book propelled them from also-ran to a very strong contender. But for me the Best Warhammer Army Book is the last released Dark Elves. It removed the 7th Ed hangovers AND gave a book with diversity and good internal/external balance. Warlocks are probably 5 points undercosted but although we have had three months the Net is no closer to publishing its list.

Worst Warhammer Army Book - Having mentioned the other four books, it is no surprise as to what I see as the weakest release. And when I say weakest I mean in terms of balance and mechanics because on-table the book has been a powerhouse. What were they thinking with making Chariots Core? Or including the updated 3rd Eye? Also Throgg as a Special Character that transfers Trolls to Core was particularly brainless. It is a real shame for what is one of the most characterful armies - Warriors of Chaos.

So that's my take on the GW releases for WHFB. Love to know your thoughts.

NZ Masters 2013 - WHFB Results

The 6th Annual NZ Masters were run in Hamilton over the weekend. Six rounds with 2400 point armies using rulebook scenarios.

The results were as follows:

 *Unfortunately Ross was taken ill after Round 4 and did not play the final two rounds

Best Sport: Richard Barby

Best Painted: Sam Whitt

Here also is the breakdown of the highest scorers Day One and Day Two

Thanks to Rob Shirley and his team for organising the event.

NZ Masters Event Information

One of my aims with the Masters is to have it in different centres. In 2011 the event was run by Phil Wu in Auckland and this year Rob Shirley from Hamilton is running the event. 

Rob has sent out the first event information for the 2013 Masters and you can download it here

Thanks to Rob for getting this information out so early in the piece, it makes planning for travel and accommodation much easier for participants.

I will post further updates as they are released.

The Race for the Masters - Fantasy

Thought it was worth looking at this year's race for the Masters given we are two-thirds of the way through the tournament season.

Tom Dunn - 2012 winner and automatic qualifier. Hasn't played a singles event since the Masters as he hibernates in a uni hostel.

Tim Joss - currently #1 and is absolute certainty to qualify. Worse case score sees him finish on 255 points. He is away at the ETC but has banked points early to qualify.

Dan Butler - the big man broke his duck at Nicon, unfortunately no ranking points were up for grabs. Worst case he'll finish on his current score. Certainty.

Sam Whitt - also has banked points early and the worse he can score is 237. Will make the Masters and is building WoC so he can join three quarters of the field at this year's event.

Ross Hillier-Jones - looking shaky. Needs one, possibly two good results to ensure his place at this year's event. Has sold his current WoC army to build a harder one.

Mal Patel - has 230 points locked in which will be enough to get him a dance. May snag a southern event to improve his score nearer the cutoff.

James Brown - score drops to 205 when 2012 events drop out. James will, even now, be scouring forums looking for events in small provincial towns. So if you are a gamer in Te Kuiti, Opotiki or the like expect to see him on your doorstep soon.

Joel van de Ven-Long - will drop to 210 when non-2013 events drop out. I suspect this will be the benchmark and he'll scrape in.

Wil Hoverd - needs one more result to replace last year's Skitterleap. Pretty sure he'll get it and hold onto the Ogre icon he has made his own.

Thomas van Roekel - worst score he can get is his current 218 and change. History says that he'll qualify with that but is out of the country so it will be purely academic. Still three years qualification in a row is great effort.

Locky Reid - needs one more result so expect to see the weekend away in Christchurch at Labour Weekend.

Jeff Kent - worst he can get is 206 but this may not be enough. Obviously is mighty concerned as he has spent a student's yearly allowance on buying a WoC army to give him the edge that 150 shots fail to do. Unfortunately for Jeff it may be all in vain and he'll have to content himself with "Miss Congeniality" and the newest Taylor Swift album.

Below these worthies, a school of sharks circle and with at least 10 events still to play out there is ample time for blood in the water.

Whispers of Emo Fear & Loathing in Q4

It is pretty much expected that Lizardmen are the next WHFB book - sometime in Q3 2013. However we are now getting the first glimpse of what will follow them on the WHFB production line.

Dark Elves.

The talk is that we will see the Naggarothi before the end of the year.

Rumoured is a plastic kit that creates either Black Guard or Executioners and another dual kit producing a Witch Elf Cauldron or another variant. There is talk of it having an effect like the Engine of the Gods whereby it inflicts attacks on units within a certain distance.

I'm not sure what other models need doing. I guess I must be one of the few people in the world that like the current Witch Elf models - in fact I used them as Daemonettes in my Emperor's Children ahead of the Juan Diaz sculpts.

Anyway I'm really excited about the Dark Elves getting an update. Although I've never played them, they are one of my favourite armies in the Warhammer World.

Fields of Blood NZ WHFB Rankings Updated

The FOB Rankings have been updated for Horned Rat VI and as you would expect there has been some major changes. You can check the latest rankings by clicking the link on the banner.

We have seen four new people enter the Top 20 - Wil Hoverd, Thomas Roekel, Locky Reid and Tane Woodley - while there have been some changing of places.

A Masters spot now costs just over 205 points and will continue to escalate through the year.

With the icons:

• Ogre Kingdoms - shifted to Wil Hoverd from Paul Dalton
• Skaven - shifts to Hamish Gordon from Dave Appleby
• Dwarfs - Tane Woodley picks it up from Simon Switzer
• Changeling (Most Different Armies) - goes to Neil Williamson

Next events are Tin Soldier in Auckland and then Panzershreck in Palmerston North. These will be followed by Call to Arms in Wellington.

Horned RAT VI Results

Horned Rat Gobbo VI was run over the weekend here in Wellington. And when the dust settled there was much rejoicing in Skavenblight as the ratty juggernaut delivered a 1-2 finish.

Here are the results:

BEST PAINTED: Graeme Fry (High Elves)

BEST SPORT: John Murrie (High Elves)

BEST NEWCOMER: Fern Campbell (Orcs & Goblins)

Graeme's Elves are a beautiful army and everyone here locally enjoyed the opportunity to see them in the flesh. John Murrie showed the rewards you can reap when you discard Dwarfs and embrace Warhammer.

A special mention for Tane and his "moving" Dwarfs. Isn't it interesting - and ultimately more successful - when you venture out of that 12" square in the corner of the board.

Thanks to all the players for their attendance, especially those who traveled to get here. Also thanks to those who helped move tables - greatly appreciated.

And a big thank you to Raymond for his efforts before and during the weekend with the organisation and umpiring.

Solidifying Rumours - 2013 GW Releases

There seems to be solidifying rumours around GW's release schedule for 2013.

In 40k it seems we'll see new Tau Empire in the next two months followed mid-year by rebooted Apocalypse and Eldar. I am surprised that we are not seeing Codex:Space Marines given we are now 9 months into 6th Edition. Perhaps GW will surprise the hoi polloi.

For Fantasy we have two further releases this year. First up will be High Elves (around June/July) with Lizardmen later in the year. Talk of the other two Elves and Dwarfs (hope not) in 2014.

Unfortunately this means no new book for Skaven in 8th Edition. We'll just have to reconcile ourselves to the fact that we will not have access to all the toys that those armies that get new books enjoy. Still at least it will keep those truly devoted to the Horned Rat away while true acolytes soldier on with an outdated book.

Warlords - Back on the Chain Gang

My local club is the Wellington Warlords and I have been a member since 1998. In the early 00s I was on the Committee and in 2004 became President (as a result of an SGM that removed a dysfunctional Committee - you've gotta love wargaming politics).

I remained as President for 5 years and in that time membership grew to 120 members. In 2008 I stepped down and in the interests of fairness to the new Committee moved into the background. Over the past couple of years the Club has gone through hard times as membership fell and meeting attendance withered. From a weekly meeting - due to financial and attendance issues - the Club has reverted to its alternative Saturday meeting. There was a failed experiment with weeknight meetings but again these weren't sufficiently attended.

My own attendance has decreased to the point whereby I have only played one game at the Club in the past few years. The GW games, previously stalwarts of the Club, have dwindled and the inability to get a pickup game saw me turn my attentions elsewhere.

All clubs go through cycles as periods ebb and flow and people's real life circumstances change. I've found it very easy to organise games at home - with the benefit of better quality terrain and onsite espresso!

Yesterday the Club had its AGM. Membership has fallen to around 50 people and due to a number of factors the Club incurred a $1500 loss for the year. At the outset of the meeting I had no intention of getting more involved but as it proceeded I decided that I should make a renewed contribution. As a result I put myself forward for the Committee and was appointed.

So what am I going to focus on - the regrowth of the GW games at the Club. Ten years ago the interest in 40k at the Warlords - whether it was campaigns, multiplayer or tournaments - was unrivalled. Fantasy was a largely dormant period. Now both struggle at the Warlords. However Fantasy has a very vibrant scene here in Wellington with events regularly attracting 25+ participants. I'm going to see if I can grow the involvement at the Warlords leveraging off this.

Yesterday I sat and watched (advised) a couple of members playing a 1200 point game. One or two others showed interest and asked me about armies. Similarly there were 3-4 players having a game of 40k. Small acorns but I appreciate that time spent now will likely be rewarded with renewed interest in the period.

To encourage the regrowth subs were dropped to $40 for the year - about $1.50 per meeting - or about the cost of a Hero figure. I urge the local Fantasy players and 40k gamers to come along and try out the Warlords. If you want a game contact me here and I'll be happy to play you (or alternatively organise a game for you).

Really you haven't got a lot to lose - your first couple of meetings are free and then you can decide whether it is worth the $40 value for 12 months gaming.

New Giant Eagles

So finally I have found some good to come out of "The Hobbit". After me putting up with a month of movie overhype living here in the "Middle of Middle Earth", Games Workshop delivers the goods.

A new plastic kit has been released featuring two plastic Giant Eagles. This is a great option for both High Elves and Wood Elves and pretty much crowns the High Elves as the first fully plastic force.

The models are very nice and the two comprise a 16 piece plastic kit. Hard to get real fix on size but given the base is a large (60mm) flying stand, it seems the wing span is 7-8". This probably justifies the price point of $100 for the kit.

If you want further variety - and which High Elf player isn't going to have 4 eagles - then you can buy the Finecast special character.

This bad boy is a six piece Finecast kit and comes in at a whopping $80 here in New Zealand. It is a very nice and characterful model but the price point is certainly pushing the envelope.

They are currently on Advance Order at Games Workshop or usual stockists/webstores.

Australian Masters Changes

The Australians are going through the process of looking at qualification for their Masters for 2013. Ex-Pat New Zealander has taken over the running of the Masters for this year and has published his criteria.

Three areas of departure from recent years:

1. Removal of auto invite for highest representative from each State
2. Introduction of entry for any winner of 50+ player event regardless of ranking
3. Removal of invite to top ranked NZ player

Of these I think that the first two are retrograde steps. Why? Well, with regard to state representation, the size of Tasmanian and Western Australian events, in particular, is unlikely to see anybody qualify without extensive travel. I think that having their presence at the event fosters the wider community.

The second change is also, IMO, a backward step. For me the Masters (and Rankings) has always been to reward tournament participation. Therefore it requires a commitment to four (three in NZ) events over the year. Inclusion of someone who has played a single event at the expense of someone who has attended four and ranked highly would be wrong (again my opinion).

As to the last point, I personally don't see the rationale for the invite - apart from historical reasons - especially given that there has been virtually no NZ-domiciled attendance at Australian events in the past two years. However that is very much a personal opinion and I appreciate that others will have differing views.

Here's what I said on WargamerAU as to why I didn't attend the 2012 Australian Masters after receiving an invite:

I received the invite for NZ player for 2012. I chose not to attend for a couple of reasons:

1. It was scheduled for the same weekend as the NZ Masters for which I was TO

2. The NZ and Australian scenes have diverged markedly in the past 2 years, most notably in Comp. Subjective comp is unheard of here in NZ over the past 18 months with a Hard Cap comp being the norm. This is also lighter comp than what appears to be the norm in Australian circles.

3. The inclusion of the Army Swap rounds.

So these were all personal decisions by me as an individual rather than by the "NZ Scene". 

Other individuals might have different motivations.

In addition to this, I think the New Zealand scene stands on its own. Our Masters are as keenly fought as any similar event, including the Australian Masters.

My preference would be to see an event where the top 6 ranked players in each country played their equivalent over 6 rounds over a weekend. This could be done early the following year with the venue alternating between countries. However the Oz Fantasy scene seems to have become a little insular and I suspect few would travel to NZ to play.

Major Change to RHQ Rankings Site

Overnight some of you would have been advised by RHQ that they are changing the way they do the rankings.

 Previously they have been a free service funded by the ad revenue at the website. This is now going to change.

 From April 1, the service will now no longer be free for users. There are two ways that it can be paid for. Firstly, an affiliate (effectively sponsor) can pay to provide the service.For example Battlefoam is paying for 40k rankings in the USA, UK and Oz. The second option is that individuals will have to be to register and be ranked. This is slated to cost each individual USD $12.00 per annum. If you do not pay your ranking score will not be published.

This is a real shame.

Up until 2009 I ran the NZ rankings on a spreadsheet using the same formula as RHQ. It was a bit of work but it ensured that we had our own rankings. And it was free. RHQ offered to take it over in 2010 and have maintained it ever since. I don't think that there is much potential for a Sponsor to come through for New Zealand. I might be wrong and if anyone knows one that would be good to hear about. That means if we want RHQ to continue to maintain NZ Rankings it will need to be funded by the community.

I believe that the individual funding option is doomed to fail as unless there is a critical mass then the rankings will be meaningless and lose what ever initial support they have over time. This means that the way forward - in an RHQ world - for NZ might be through crowdfunding.

I have asked Andrew Galea how much RHQ would require to maintain the 40k/Fantasy rankings for NZ and if the some was reasonable I would seek to crowd fund it through Fields of Blood. If there was enough local support to continue RHQ based rankings then it would be up to local gamers to fund it.

If, for whatever reason, the RHQ route wasn't viable, I would seek a local solution to maintaining NZ rankings for 40k and Fantasy. As the total number of events in NZ GW games was less than 30 last year (Fantasy 17, 40k 11), it would not be too hard to go back to a local solution - be it blog or website based. Obviously it would not necessarily have all the bells and whistles of RHQ but it would at least be "ours".

I'll let you know when I hear back from RHQ.

2013 Rankings Change

I've noticed that RHQ have made a change to their rankings for 2013. In the past the rankings have been "Opt Out" where you were automatically included unless you actually asked not to have a ranking published.

However for 2013 this has changed to "Opt In". So what does this mean?

Well to be included in the rankings you need to register with RHQ. If you do not register your results will still be included in determine ranking points but you will not be assigned the points and consequently won't get a Ranking. RHQ have taken out those who have not registered with them as at Jan 1 so you have some people drop out - notably Masters participants Mike King and Raymond Dick.

As all the data is still there all anyone who has dropped out has to do is register and their Ranking will be restored. Alternatively if you want to still play events but not be ranked then the default "Opt Out" is there. Either don't register or if you have then ask RHQ to exclude you from the rankings table

Forgeworld Release Sons of Horus Justaerin

Just when Charlie is moaning like a home-schooled child who is so gifted he has no friends, Forgeworld decide to shower some love on the Sons of Horus.

The black-armoured Justaerin were the pride of the XVI Legion Astartes. Tasked with forming the ‘point of the spear’, their attacks were directed at the heart of an opposing target or a decapitation strike against an enemy force. The Justaerin and their commander, First Captain Ezekyle Abaddon, were early proponents of Tactical Dreadnought armour, and many entered combat in singularly-modified Cataphractii pattern Terminator plate. 

FW have released a set of 5 Terminators just for the Sons of Horus. And they are, as you'd expect, fantastic.

So dry your eyes Charlie, there is a Santa!

New Release Dark Angel Pictures from January White Dwarf

Here is the first glimpse at the new Dark Angels in the January White Dwarf.

I lifted these off Dakka (hat tip). I'm not best placed to comment as I'm not a great fan of Dark Angels. I like the Termies though.

HomeCon III

The first Warhammer Fantasy event in Wellington in 2013 is the NZ Teams Championship, with the first singles event not until Easter (NatCon).


With that in mind, I have organised HomeCon III at my place on the weekend of 12/13 January. There are twelve ready to go and it includes a fair number of the recent Masters field:

Tom Dunn
Peter Williamson
Pete Dunn
Sam Whitt
Mike King
Neil Williamson
Joel van de Ven-Long
Locky Reid
Ryan Lister
John Tailby
Glen Burfield
Wil Hoverd

These are really relaxed affair with a BBQ each day for lunch.

As it stands I can probably fit another table in so if there are two others interested in a weekend of fun gaming early in January then please drop me a line.

Dark Angels Release - Serious Boredom Alert

Dark Angels? Really?


Do they really need any more love wasted on them? We get it! There are Robed Marines, Robed Bike Marines and Bone Terminators. They like plasma. It’s been exactly the same story for 3 editions.

Really? Wouldn’t it have been easier just to subsume them and release Codex: Space Marines with Special Characters to unlock Deathwing and Ravenwing? Really.

They hold about as much appeal to the universe as another Army Book: Dwarfs.

Wouldn’t it interesting to see the Venn diagram of Dark Angels players vs. Dwarfs and/or High Elf players? I’ve reconstructed it for you:

Venn Diagram - High Elf and/or Dwarf vs. Dark Angels

Before I wrote this, I seriously thought that there couldn't be a more boring release for 40k than Dark Angels. And I still can't!

Deathshroud Terminators - Revealed

So it's Merry Xmas from Forgeworld for Death Guard players. The jigsaw they have been running is now revealed.

 THE COMPLETED JIGSAW

Squad of Deathshroud

Roll on January when these are released!!!

"Betrayer" - The Latest Horus Heresy Release

I love Saturday mornings. Apart from the general lack of going to work, they are the day when Forgeworld and Black Library send out their new release emails.

This Saturday, it was Black Library's turn and we had the release of the latest Heresy book "Betrayer". I immediately downloaded it and I am about 3 hours into its 17 hours of goodness.

The book is set a year after Istvaan V and the World Eaters and Word Bearers are continuing their campaign against the Ultramarines in the Calth system. Apparently Horus has realised that for everybody's safety, it is best to keep Angron occupied. Not so much the World Eaters but just their Primarch. It emerges that Angron is his Legion's shame - he is a bit like the Dad on the anti-alcohol ads who starts breakdancing at his daughter's wedding crossed with Shouty Sam, Angry Sam, Punchy Sam and Hit On Everyone's Missus Sam. In short he's a bit of an embarrassment.

Early on he gets his kicks winding up Angth tal (Word Bearer's captain) by referring to him as "Creature" and making disparaging comments about Lorgar (so he's not all bad). However once unleashed on the Ultramarines he becomes a One-Man-Wrecking-Machine. This is done to the effects of the "butchers nails".

Kharn, who is the voice of sanity in the Legion, holds the rest of the World Eaters in-check as much as he can. There are some amusing exchanges when he comes across a squad of Word Bearers torturing/crucifying some Ultramarines. The World Eaters are clearly the "big dog" in Horus's arsenal.

In the background, Lorgar is trying to get Magnus to join Horus in light of the destruction of Prospero.

One thing that was interesting in the audiobook is that the World Eaters are all voiced with very heavy Russian accents. Angron has a voice described as sounding like a "vomiting of gravel and bile".

Enjoying it so far....I'll let you know my thoughts at the end.