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So we're back with another look into the dim early days of Warhammer 40k!

Today we have issue 109, January 1989 (so only 19 years old this time, but remember if you weren't born yet you must say so).



The cover has little or nothing to do with the contents, IIRC it's from WH RPG but there's nothing in the book for that game. Oh well. nice over though.

We get another look at the history of GW retail with this, a COMPLETE MAP of all GW official stores and independent reatailers in the US at the time.




Both of them.

Though Jim Hanley's Universe in Staten Island NYC get's an ad and a page of coupons in this issue.

There's also a big announcement that Warhammer Comics are coming


The book itself came out, when? 1998, 1999? So stop complaining about your FAQs! If you want it done right it takes time!

There's also an ad asking for playtesters


(proving how long ago this was!)

And what must be the protype for the Warhammer MMG

though I heard there were a lot of complaints about lag time.

Other big news is the relase of the Realms of Chaos - Slaves to Darkness, the second of the 2 legendary Chaos books starring Nurgle and Tzeentch.




And some neat conversions




Coming soon a gallery of titans!

ahh I remember those minis, back in a time when I was just getting into this whole malarky.

Mike McVey was the bees knees back then.

Hey, Kid Kyoto, can you do me a HUGE favor? When you get to the Titans would you mind scanning the "Warhound Titan variants and badges" material for me, please? There are some badges in there that I've been interested in for some time, and seeing them might encourage me to finish painting my Warhound.

& we're back with Titans and TERMINATORS!

I totally forgot to mention this issue has the debut of a whole new type of power armor, a heavier version of the familiar marine power armor (which granted a 4+ save back in the day).

We get two designs, both of which had models IIRC.



Why two so different designs?

"After some false starts, the basic outline for Marine Terminator Armour, a form of exo-armor, evolved. Drawing on both Powered Armour and Dreadnaught technologies, Terminator Armour attempts to combine the best of both. Several designs evolved in parallel from the forge-worlds of the Adeptus Mechanicus and the armouries of the Marines. Often bearing little physical resemblence to each other, these different Exo-armour suits have much in common. Massively armoured, sealed against any external conditions and incorporating their own armament, Terminator Armour designs proved their worth from the first."



We learn that marines need surgical modifications to use the suits (so that's how they get their arms in them) and see the first appearance of something called the Grey Knights.

"The Thule Decimation of 728.M40 is one of the most noteworthy examples of the use of Terminator Armour. Six entire companies of Grey Knights (an elite Chapter that is unusual in having all of its Marines trained and adapted for Exo-Armour) were equipped with Terminator Armour, including suits that had been requisitioned from five other Chapters. The assualt was mounted with such haste that there was no time for repainting the suits. The Grey Knights were forced to attack in the colours of six different Chapters of Marines, the defenders surrendered within three hours. One in ten on the planetoid city were subsequently executed for their part in the rebellion."

The really wierd thing is that at about the same time the GKs were appearing in the Realms of Chaos books as an elite, anti-chaos chapter. And had no Terminators (at the time). Did GW just miss the fact the same name was in use in two places?

Anyway now for [b]TITANS!

This issue comes a bit after Adeptus Titanicus was published but adds rules for Land Raiders, Rhinos, Warhounds and Reavers!



AT came with SIX plastic Warlords, eight buildings, and rules. IIRC (I never owned the game ) it also introduced the Horus Heresy as a simple civil war (not involving Chaos), which gave GW two sides without having to make any new models .

Not much else to add unless you're really into 20 year old rule sets. But here's a gallery of Titans & tanks!





Jes Goodwin! I wonder if he knew that 20 years later this model would still be in production. I have one waiting to paint on my desk.


I like how they used sand to cover the bases, looks a lot more like a battle. Also I like how the buildings are still more 2000AD/Judge Dredd looking than GOTHISKULLIC. How many components can you ID?



At the time Land Raiders were GW's only tank kit so both IG and the Spaze Marinez used them.












The whole issue is filled with little cartoons like this, so cute! Look at the helpless little guardsmen. Who's gonna die? You're gonna die! Yes you are!



STOMPY! Who's a stompy little titan, you are, yes you are.





Yeah guys, good luck with those storm bolter shots.


Early chaos titan. Note the daemonettes with the Khorne banner, maybe GW was still working out the iconography?

I remember soooo wanting Adeptus Titanicus when I was a wee lad in the game store, and never getting it despite putting it on my Xmas List along with Egrimm Van Horstman on his two-headed dragon and the shiny box of chaos terminators that would never be bought but draw me into the loving embrace of the fickle Chaos gods ...

Thanks for the pic scans, I dig the lil' titans doing their lil' stompy dance.

- Salvage

Good times!

Thanks for these retro reviews... They bring a tear to the eye...

IG will have to wait till tomorrow, getting late here in Red China.

One question though, what to do next? I have some more WDs on order but who knows when the ship will come in.

I've been thinking of doing the 2nd edition Black Codex, the last appearance of the Squat army list, the Electro Priest and some other fine relics.

Any interest?

Ah yes, the beginnings of the Horus Heresy - Although I started in these days of 40k, I kind of took a break through most of 2nd Ed and didn't come back in until the last couple years of it. By this time, the HH was pretty fully developed and I was completely confused by it. I had thought it was just a minor thing - like the Badab War!

And it's thanks to these issues of WD that many of my high school notes have battles between SM and Chaos sketched in miniature in the margins.

Kid_Kyoto wrote:I've been thinking of doing the 2nd edition Black Codex

Yes please.

Kid_Kyoto wrote:& we're back with Titans and TERMINATORS!

Man.
I really like that Terminator.
"Collectability" aside, I'd field a unit of those gladly. They have FAR more character than current Terminators.


Eric

I'd love to see some squat stuff, for nostalgia's sake. Loved their bits in the old Codex Imperialis. Brilliant characters.

You got issue 141 Kyoto? The one with the first 40K Battle Report (BA vs Eldar)?

BYE

That yellow CSM with "multi-melta" is actually a grenade launcher if you bought the blister like I did.

I've got all of these WDs (from something like #95-#300) and I enjoy the commentary and reaction from the folks here.

Kid_Kyoto wrote:
I like how they used sand to cover the bases, looks a lot more like a battle. Also I like how the buildings are still more 2000AD/Judge Dredd looking than GOTHISKULLIC. How many components can you ID?

Well, it looks like a good portion of the buildings and structures are made from parts of the old "Legions of Power" sets that were made by Tonka.

Adeptus Titanicus was the first GW game I really got into. I loved that game! Big ol' beetle-backed robots, with up to six weapons each... . When it became Epic, with emphasis on things beyond big stompy Titans, I sort of didn't like it as much.

& we're back with...

THE BEARDIEST
THE CHEESIEST
THE MOST GROSSLY OVERPOWERED
40K ARMY

EVER!

I warn out, you might want to have children and people with heart conditions leave the room cause this... this is just over the top.

You thought your mutants with metallic bodies, teleport and fire breath was gross?
You thought the squat guildmaster on a hoverboard with a heavybolter who hits you an infinite number of times was abusive?
You ain't seen nothing yet.
Prepare yourself for...



THE IMPERIAL GUARD?

Yes.
The Imperial Guard.

This by the way is an ad for the 10 UKP (20 US$) box of them. 36 IG, including heavy weapons. I never got a chance to buy them.

Anyway you're wondering why they're so cheesey? Here's why.

do you see it now?
Let me 'splain. This army list introduces the mighty auxilery grenade launcher. Fair enough right? Underbarrel GLs have been part of modern arsenals since the Vietnam war, it only makes sense the IG should be able to buy them right?
Well then look at the grenades a squad can buy.
Yeah some tangle foot grenades might be nice to slow down those charging orks. Or maybe some plasma grenades to ruin a marine's day.
Or you could spend 25 points to get vortex grenades. 200 points for 10 guardsmen, 10 to givem them all GLs, 250 to give them all vortex grenades... can you say win on turn one?



Other than that IG haven't changed much over the years.

OK beastmen are gone.


As are jump pack assault squads with 2 las pistols.


Yeah, and thudd guns.


Yeah Land Raiders and Rhinos are now Marine-only.


And human bombs, though honestly they're not quite as funny these days


But other than that, the IG are still flak wearing, las gun totting grunts.


Other than tanks, which came in 2nd edition most of the staples are already here. Rough riders, ogyrn, ratlings, tech priests and commissars are all introduced in this issue.

So with no further ado here is a gallery of classic IG!
The army list came with cartoony drawings for each unit. Anyone recognize the artist, he looks familiar, another 2000AD alumnus?


Everyone loves the commissars


And the tech priests


I love the old Rome meets WWII officers


I was so glad to get the Adeptus Mech back in the 3.5 codex


Still going strong!


Command section




Tac, heavy and assault squads.


Well I guess we can always use Kroot rules for... oh... never mind then.


Looking sharp


I can't beleive these guys survived while squats didn't



Penitent squad & human bombs

And finally I leave you with an ad for the Orc's Nest

They've showed up in every issue so far, I remember them from 80s issues of Dragon too. Anyone ever go there? Are they still around?

Yep Orky is still there, same two people running it and they are as unfriendly as ever. It is one of two surviving specialist hobby game shops in London, so its catchment is guaranteed despite what time can throw at it.

As far as the Guard are concerned. I would like to see Necromunda pattern guard uniforms return. I know some fellow old timers who have some guard floating around.

One of them has a bag (sadly not a box) of 1st ed plastic marines too.

Thudd guns have returned via Forgeworld.

You can have human bombsin the rules, indirectly, if you refuse to supply a lasgun armed model to replace a demo charge model. At least one person I know of has suitably modelled his Tallarns that way.

I liked the human bomb rules and background, as soon as you put on the harness your crimes were forgiven. An average of one in six packs are rigged not to go off when the command switch is pressed. So if you charge the enemy try to blow yourself up, survive your comrades blowing themselves up and whatever you were assaulting (normally something nasty) you were free regardless of your transgressions! Back in the day the Imperium was far more lenient.

Orlanth wrote:
You can have human bombsin the rules, indirectly, if you refuse to supply a lasgun armed model to replace a demo charge model. At least one person I know of has suitably modelled his Tallarns that way.

yeah, that's sort of what I meant about human bombs not being so funny these days. I prefer my wars to be as fictional as possible.

Kid_Kyoto wrote:So with no further ado here is a gallery of classic IG!
The army list came with cartoony drawings for each unit. Anyone recognize the artist, he looks familiar, another 2000AD alumnus?

Paul Bonner did the pictures with the shading - he was quite the prolific GW artist at the time. I'm not sure if he did the simpler line drawings though.

I love these old WG reviews, great for a trip down memory lane.

I can remember having an issue from this era with Commisar cadets in it, think the cover was blue. Anyway some nice art and a fun concept. I miss squats and abhumans they added alot of character to armies.

I love how everyone used to tell me that all 40k vehicles, especially old rhinos, were scaled down because they'd be too big otherwise. Looks like they were wrong and that rhinos are the clown cars I've always visualized.

Each Rhino incorporates a Tardis circuit.

Kid_Kyoto wrote:
I can't beleive these guys survived while squats didn't

Too true, brother, too true...

JohnHwangDD wrote:Each Rhino incorporates a Tardis circuit.

I thought that was only available to the Time Lords Space Marine Legion?

It's part of the STC.

Standard Timelord Construct?

(Aiee! Crossed the streams!)

I have this issue. It's a good'un. I love the IG stuff. This article, with the Beastmen and human bombs, came the closest to getting me to start an army; otherwise it's never been a favorite.

The cover was from the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay adventure/supplment Something Rotten in Kislev; part of the acclaimed The Enemy Within campaign, though it's generally regarded as an inferior departure from the four preceding segments.

http://www.amazon.com/Something-Rotten-Warhammer-Fantasy-Roleplay/dp/1899749195

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Enemy_Within_Campaign

Orc's Nest still exists, just off Trafalger Square. Still sells all manner of minis and games. Except GW.

yeah I was at Orcs nest in October, bought some Reaper minis and an Orcs Nest 20th anniversey t shirt!

seemed a good store.

torgoch wrote:Orc's Nest still exists, just off Trafalger Square. Still sells all manner of minis and games. Except GW.

Guess the advertising campaign wasn't to successful then...

--Chris
www.chrisvalera.com