Having just received the french Sci-Fi/Fantasy wargaming magazine Ravage I stumbled on this short line of text printed in italic in the GW news section:
"For Autumn, everyone should expect the new version of a sadistic, poisoning and cruel race who have been waiting for twelve years and 2 editions... The English Games Day at the end of September will be the event for an official announcement."
(Translated by me as to the best of my capacity.)
As for the validity of the source, Ravage is the only french Sci-Fi/Fantasy wargaming magazine besides White Dwarf but is nonetheless a magazine of high quality; and I know for a fact that GW holds "press conferences" to show off their new products as they had published photos of the one for Apocalypse so it's not unlikely for them to be warned in advance.
Although it is still the first time they do a "hint" such as this one.
About time I always thought the Dark Eldar where a great concept let down by some really poor miniatures, the Lord with the skin over his mask was a particularly poor sculpt.
I think this is the first time in an 'official' publication this has been announced despite it being widely known.
GW could have taken a clue from PP and started hinting at it in their own magazine (Retribution comes to mind). I bet WD sales would have went up if there was a snippet of some type of photo or blurb about a rule.
Interesting, though I find it odd that it's going to take until autumn. I mean, there has to be at least a few 40k things in pipeline before next fall.
I suppose what I'm getting at, is that with GW being so secretive, you'd think they'd hint at things that a touch closer to being actually released. Though if DE are for the fall, does this mean that perhaps the rumors concerning Grey Knights and/or Necrons might come to fruition in late 2010/early 2011?
Well, some sources cited in the magazine would be nice. As far as we know they just read online forums and posted what we've been reading and writing. Then again, as previously mentioned they had pictures of the Manticore before anyone else, so they've got some credibility. I'll take it with a pinch of salt, but I won't refute it or anything.
I do not recall exactly... you'd have to troll back through the June IG release rumors thread. It was a tiny picture in Ravage though. Barely big enough to make out it was a manticore.
There was also this quote in last month's White Dwarf:
"Such an alliance, so feared and loathed by the Eldar of the Craftworlds, would doubtless have triumphed were it not for the arrival of the Eldar's dark kin. Led by the lithe and deadly servants of the Laughing God, they struck the Daemons without warning. The uncompromising savagery of their attacks bought the Seer Councils of the Eldar enough time to permanently seal the portal, leaving the Dark Prince without his prize and sorely indebted to his fellow Chaos Gods."
Looks like they may be getting ready to start releasing info, even if it's just hints at this point. There's also been speculation there may be an announcement in this month's Incoming! newsletter, although some people seem to think they will not do the usual Incoming! announcement and hold off for a "surprise" reveal at GDUK.
Scottywan82 wrote:I do not recall exactly... you'd have to troll back through the June IG release rumors thread. It was a tiny picture in Ravage though. Barely big enough to make out it was a manticore.
Yeah done that. Gone through 90+ pages, back to March. Earliest I've found is April 01 (my time, which might be March 31st US time) where mikhaila mentioned seeing it in Previews and reds8n posted the medium sized pic from Warseer:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/287011.page
Haven't seen anything about Ravage. Ravage N°58 was ~May 30 wasn't it? Or was it in Ravage N°57? Was the teeny pic posted here on Dakka? I don't recall seeing it anywhere - on forums or otherwise.
Cripes O'Riley DE are how old now?
A lot of the stuff from that era can't hold their own against newer sculpts
Some of the DE need a mask lift but overall they are not as horrid as people make out imho Henners
but it will be good to see the new stuff please
eventually
no hurry GW, take your time why don't you
I actually considered Dark Eldar when I was a newb (still am I guess) and didn't know about the different editions... it was actually the idea that they were intended for the "1337" 40k players that put me off...
I wonder if they'll see an upsurge in players or if people will be told things like I was still... or maybe they are only "1337" because of the fact they're second ed.
Don't consider myself 1337
(assume that is txtspk for "elite")
they offer, or at least have the potential, for a different style of gameplay.
They are difficult because of the codex lag. From my limited experience, units that can look out for themselves are expensive. The rules are tailored to their speed yet fall short of enabling their abilities it seems.
It will be a shame if the new edition goes overboard with the much needed improvements. But either way people will pick up on them if they look cool and play well.
Henners91 wrote:I actually considered Dark Eldar when I was a newb (still am I guess) and didn't know about the different editions... it was actually the idea that they were intended for the "1337" 40k players that put me off...
I wonder if they'll see an upsurge in players or if people will be told things like I was still... or maybe they are only "1337" because of the fact they're second ed.
Third ed - a second ed codex would be completely unusable.
Dark Eldar aren't exclusively "1337" or whatever, but they're a lot harder to use than say, Space Marines due to their fragility and high mobility. I really hope that doesn't change since that was always a cool factor about the army.
M'Kachen's Nemesis wrote:Having just received the french Sci-Fi/Fantasy wargaming magazine Ravage I stumbled on this short line of text printed in italic in the GW news section:
"For Autumn, everyone should expect the new version of a sadistic, poisoning and cruel race who have been waiting for twelve years and 2 editions... The English Games Day at the end of September will be the event for an official announcement."
Oh? Autumn of what year? 2012?
And isn't this just more Skaven / Dark Elfs for WFB 8?
I am under the impression that the Crons were #2 in the hopper for 2011. I guess if that fails to pass, the DE hatas can certainly adopt their shiny metal asses.
I have a dark eldar army and currently rule my gaming club with a fist of spikes. I hope to the slime ball rotting emperor's corpse that they don't make my old school army (yes before the hype)
obsolete or unusable. If they make Dark Eldar an army that are easy as a mime to perform they'll lose the fans of the army they already have. That said, there's this evil thing called money that will
be and has been the death of many a good idea. I want a new codex but they'd better not fill it full of bull schwank.
InventionThirteen wrote:I have a dark eldar army and currently rule my gaming club with a fist of spikes. I hope to the slime ball rotting emperor's corpse that they don't make my old school army (yes before the hype)
obsolete or unusable. If they make Dark Eldar an army that are easy as a mime to perform they'll lose the fans of the army they already have. That said, there's this evil thing called money that will
be and has been the death of many a good idea. I want a new codex but they'd better not fill it full of bull schwank.
I doubt it. I'm sure you know that the DE were originally intended as an "expert's army," one that rewards finesse, planning, skill, and good luck lol. I can only imagine that they will keep in that spirit.
As far as people saying "bawww DE are over powered!" Well, they will be - in the hands of the right players. That's how it's always been, really.
On a side note, I'm looking forward mostly to new fluff and some purty plastic kits
I wonder if they'll make the models more attractive? I've always thought DE should be kind of "Mysteriously attractive" to humans, but the models don't really represent that..Well, except kruellagh, which is a pretty sex model. I hope they keep that one
Samus_aran115 wrote:.Well, except kruellagh, which is a pretty sex model
You're kidding me, right? That's barely any better than the other Gary Morley garbage in that range. Absolutely no old models are being carried over - they're basically launching a new army with this one.
The current Lelith model is pretty good, be interesting to see how they change her.
Currently I'm most interested in seeing how much the Raider/Ravager models change so I cna decide whether to buy new ones or use the couple i've got and pick some more up on the cheap from ebay...
Samus_aran115 wrote:I wonder if they'll make the models more attractive? I've always thought DE should be kind of "Mysteriously attractive" to humans, but the models don't really represent that..
I agree. Their ugliness should be their degenerate society and their willingness to consume the souls of others to stave off Slaanesh, not their faces.
Commander Endova wrote:Interesting, though I find it odd that it's going to take until autumn. I mean, there has to be at least a few 40k things in pipeline before next fall.
OT, this is great news. Then they just need to redo DA and Ill be all peachy
To further explain: GW sculpters have to make some "demo" models that almost never get released, in order to join the design team. These are the ones Mr. Diaz made, as Kroothawk said, pre-2k1.
Everything I've heard from here on Dakka Dakka states the entire range is re-done. As much as I want to believe that...I can't because I don't think it's within GW's power to keep such a vast amount of models under wraps for as long as this has been propagated.
I'll just wait until an official release of information. If that does not happen before the end of this year, I'd say count DE squatted. I'm personally just tired of waiting and at this point I doubt even the awesomeness of a Jes Sculpt could bring me back.
Hopefully theyll fix some (all would be nice, but its GW were talking about ) of the "broken" stuff in the current DE codex (ie: Jetbikes S/T, Lelith not actually being a Wych etc)
del'Vhar wrote:Hopefully theyll fix some (all would be nice, but its GW were talking about ) of the "broken" stuff in the current DE codex (ie: Jetbikes S/T, Lelith not actually being a Wych etc)
Why wouldn't they? That's like saying "Gee, I sure hope Space Marines have bolters in the next codex!"
I'm not really being serious, I'm pretty sure the codex will be similar quality to the other 5th ed ones, whether its any good or not remains to be seen, but lots of poison weapons appeals to me at any rate.
If it turns out true then yes nay sayers will be put in their place, much like they were in this years 40k ard boyz concerning drop pods. If they dont come out, we will all laugh at the believers. Either way if you dont care and are pessemistic, then its a win win situation.
Hopefully GW US in a few days my shed a little light or brief sneak peak of whats coming. I will be sure to take lots of pictures.
When I read the first post, my reaction was as follows:
An ENTIRE redo/ release of an army with a completely new model range. This has restored my faith in GW. Now all we have to do is wait for games day, or an INCOMING email to show us some models.
It's quite frankly astonishing how secretive this company are. 3 months till a major release and they still haven't even officially confirmed Dark Eldar are being re-done. They own the IP and dominate the market, it's not like some other company is going to get in there quickly and release similar looking models so that no one buys the new Dark Eldar range. Madness.
Wait for Games Day, where they'll spend all 2-3 days of it saying that there's going to be a big announcement, announce nothing, and then reveal it in an E-mail the day after the event is finished. It'll make the price you paid for the ticket seem all the more expensive.
G_Model101 wrote:It's quite frankly astonishing how secretive this company are. 3 months till a major release and they still haven't even officially confirmed Dark Eldar are being re-done. They own the IP and dominate the market, it's not like some other company is going to get in there quickly and release similar looking models so that no one buys the new Dark Eldar range. Madness.
It's the strategy they have followed for the last few years, they never reveal what is in the works until it is almost ready to be released. I'm guessing it's because they solely want to focus sales on the current big thing and sell as much as possible to everyone, and then encourage them to part with their money the same way next month. What they don't want to do is tell people that a really cool army is in the pipeline which leads to customers waiting and saving their money. They want you to be wowed and part with your money every month.
Frankly it pees me off no end. I find it disrespectful to their customer base.
Can't think of any other hobby manufacturer that does this.
I ain't gonna part with my money every month any how as I am not intending to skip from one army to the next on every new release. Cripes there are enough backlogged minis as it is and don't need any new armies thankyou
Chibi Bodge-Battle wrote:Frankly it pees me off no end. I find it disrespectful to their customer base.
Can't think of any other hobby manufacturer that does this.
I ain't gonna part with my money every month any how as I am not intending to skip from one army to the next on every new release. Cripes there are enough backlogged minis as it is and don't need any new armies thankyou
Even companies like Hasbro preview their toys months in advance, GW don't help their customer plan purchases at all, it's all part of their "Buy this now it's kewl and will definately win games as seen in our rigged battle report, BOOM, dakka dakka!!!11!!" etc.
Chibi Bodge-Battle wrote:Frankly it pees me off no end. I find it disrespectful to their customer base. Can't think of any other hobby manufacturer that does this.
You wait for it. Give it a few hours and our Tireless Defender Brigade will be in here telling us how the reason they do it so, if there is a delay GW doesn't end up disappointing us.
Of course, that's really not relevant as most of us aren't asking for release dates, we're just asking what's coming out. Finding out if something is coming out - y'know, that a model exists - is often better than knowing when it'll come out. I mean take FFG - I don't really care when the Rites of Battle book for Deathwatch comes out, but I'm really happy to know that the thing exists, or will exist.
"There's something big coming out in September!" isn't useful. "The new Fantasy boxed set is coming out soon - it will have X, Y and Z in it - stay tuned to this newsletter for when we reveal the release date!" - that's more useful.
Then, you use White Dwarf (written 3+ months in advance, so there's no excuse) to go over new releases. You don't wait until two months after the book's release to start doing articles like this. You do them before the release to get people hyped and get people ready for the big release (you don't even have to specifically telling us when that release will be). This means that White Dwarf has a purpose, people buy it to actually find things out, and people are salivating for that eventual release date, their purchase plans already in order.
The wrong thing to do is cold dump a rulebook onto an unsuspecting player base and then talk about the chances months after it comes out all the while sending out newsletters that tell us exactly jack gak.
This is precisely what I don't understand with the strategy HBMC.
I am crossing over from scale plastic modelling, where a release schedule for the year gets published in the hobby mags. Sometimes events conspire to postpone/cancel the projects, but that is the way it goes.
Everyone bounces up and down with anticipation. There is no loss of sales this way as far as I can tell.
Companies like Hasegawa or Airfix have many more viable rivals for our pennies than GW has. There are plenty of companies making kits.
New to DE and 40k I am in a position where I am happy with the DE figures I have but really would like a new codex to run them with. But it is not hard to feel the frustrations of players who have been messed about with over the years.
There really is no excuse for treating people like this.
And why is it that quite a few releases, particularly terrain pieces, first appear in the background of studio photos of armies often in WD or a codex.
Instead of announcing the product's existence we have to rely on someone to spotting the stuff hidden in the background and then go through an argument as to whether it's a real kit or a scratchbuild.
I don't understand why they couldn't have a silhouette of a dark eldar helmet on a full page towards the back of the magazine with something like "They are coming!". No date, so no pressure and the excitement will build. Then just release snippets of information through White dwarf until the major unveil. Makes sense right?
Then, you use White Dwarf (written 3+ months in advance, so there's no excuse) to go over new releases. You don't wait until two months after the book's release to start doing articles like this. You do them before the release to get people hyped and get people ready for the big release (you don't even have to specifically telling us when that release will be). This means that White Dwarf has a purpose, people buy it to actually find things out, and people are salivating for that eventual release date, their purchase plans already in order.
The wrong thing to do is cold dump a rulebook onto an unsuspecting player base and then talk about the chances months after it comes out all the while sending out newsletters that tell us exactly jack gak.
Well I think GW is aware of how much a failure White Dwarf has become so I expect it to be filled with BS and devoid of anything useful. It amazes me that they've kept White Dwarf on for so many years when it really needs to just die. I guess if you find enough suckers to pay 10 dollars for a magazine that tells you jack/BS/LOTR then you can afford to keep it going.
GW can market this way because they don't have competition for the Warhammer/Warhammer 40K brand. Video game companies, for example, have to compete and advertise more aggressively for market share because they compete on the same platform(s), such as PC, Xbox 360, etc. GW products are their own entity and thus there is no incentive for GW to be aggressive with their information or advertising. They seem to think that our money won't go towards the latest thing if we know what's around the corner, when in fact they'll get our money for the current thing IF IT'S WORTH BUYING, and, in fact, most of us will make sacrifices to get those things now as well as drop a chunk on the cool stuff around the corner. It actually benefits them to have an informed base, as a lot of potential DE players, for example, could be saving up for the release but will blow it elsewhere (and not necessarily on GW products). Bottom line? Make appealing products, inform your customers, and they will sell themselves.
Howard A Treesong wrote:And why is it that quite a few releases, particularly terrain pieces, first appear in the background of studio photos of armies often in WD or a codex.
As much as I dislike a lot of GW's strategy, I do like this one. It actually does serve to spread buzz before the actual kit is released, and piques a lot of interest.
I guess if you find enough suckers to pay 10 dollars for a magazine that tells you jack/BS/LOTR then you can afford to keep it going.
Problem is that sucker is most often the stores stuck on multiple subscriptions. Everyone walks in, flips through it, realizes it is crap, then puts it back on the shelf. The store is stuck with enough WD to heat his house for a year hehe.
Wait for Games Day, where they'll spend all 2-3 days of it saying that there's going to be a big announcement, announce nothing, and then reveal it in an E-mail the day after the event is finished. It'll make the price you paid for the ticket seem all the more expensive.
Wait for Games Day, where they'll spend all 2-3 days of it saying that there's going to be a big announcement, announce nothing, and then reveal it in an E-mail the day after the event is finished. It'll make the price you paid for the ticket seem all the more expensive.
That sounds very much like GWs rhythm lately:
Say nothing about what's coming to destroy positive word-of-mouth hype.
Release it suddenly before anybody even knew it was coming.
Start trying to build hype after the release by making big announcements about stuff that everybody already knows about because they received the news in a lackluster fashion, making GWs big ad campaigns feel redundant and useless.
haroon wrote:Is it too early to complain that DE are overpowered?
As a Space Puppy Player, I have the right to whine about the Dark Eldar after all the greif you gave us.
In all fairness to the Space Wolves many of the people playing them currently are not "Space Wolf Players" as much as they are "people who play what is currently winning a lot".
IF the DE turn out to be deemed the "it" army of the month many of these so-called "SW players" will suddenly become "DE players".
haroon wrote:
I have been workin on why DE are OP, so far i have DE get X and eldar only gey Y and Y costs more points!!. Also where is the DEFaq its been forever!
I don't think I even need to start on why this post is wrong.
I get my copies of WD for free. I went into my FLGS right before break picked up a stack of WDs dating back to 2004 and I'm set for reading material for a little while.
Brother SRM wrote:I get my copies of WD for free. I went into my FLGS right before break picked up a stack of WDs dating back to 2004 and I'm set for toilet paper for a little while.
G_Model101 wrote:I don't understand why they couldn't have a silhouette of a dark eldar helmet on a full page towards the back of the magazine with something like "They are coming!". No date, so no pressure and the excitement will build. Then just release snippets of information through White dwarf until the major unveil. Makes sense right?
Probably not. There's a difference between "look at those horrible mutant beastmen, how grimdark is that!?" and "look at those awesome chiselled beastmen, how alluring they are".
Seeing as people have started posting the pointless videos, can I assume this thread is officially OT until Gamesday (when we'll hopefully get actual news).
Because if it is, I've got some lovely Juan Diaz Heamonculi scuplts i'd love to show you
Goddamnit john 'any color as long as its red and brown' blanche is doing the art work for dark eldar. Wait twelve years for your crappy old codex to get a crappy flavor of the months remake.
He's not abstract though- he's just not very realistic.
I wouldn't want him to be the only illustrator on a project, but a 40K product just isn't really 40K unless it has a Blanche illustration. His ability to capture the enormous scale of the madness in the 40K world pretty much defines that world for me.
Eidolon wrote:Goddamnit john 'any color as long as its red and brown' blanche is doing the art work for dark eldar. Wait twelve years for your crappy old codex to get a crappy flavor of the months remake.
Since when was there a codex where only one artist did all the art? I love the hell out of Blanche and his work, but even I know that GW never has one guy do all the art for a codex.
I guess it's just too busy for an untrained/unwilling eye. That's what I meant earlier by "illustrators' illustrator". If you're an illustrator, you can have hours of fun finding little things in his work. Although I admit since Liber Chaotica his work has been going down hill a little. Possibly because GW wants him to do almost all the illustrations these days, meaning faster/sketchier/less thought out work. (ref/chaos daemons and the new BRB)
Ktulhut wrote:I guess it's just too busy for an untrained/unwilling eye. That's what I meant earlier by "illustrators' illustrator". If you're an illustrator, you can have hours of fun finding little things in his work. Although I admit since Liber Chaotica his work has been going down hill a little. Possibly because GW wants him to do almost ALL the illustrations these days, meaning faster/sketchier/less thought out work. (ref/chaos daemons and the new BRB)
I normally hate really busy work, like most anything Joe Madureira did for Darksiders. 8 monster faces on one dude or whatever. Strangely, I really love Blanche's work. My first memories of 40k are all his awesome artwork from the 3rd ed starter box and rulebook.
Yeah man, I spent hours and hours "soaking in" the cover of the 3e starter kit when I started the hobby in earnest. I like his debbie harry sisters of battle too.
That picture looks like they took the already too spikey models aand added more spikes. I hope they do not look like that... Or thatll be it with DE. Enough with the spikes. Who do they think they are? CSM?
Nah It's a cocept piccy in all likelihood.
Spikes are not really practical for easy moulding nor modelling.
The problem with the old models is that the spikes are way overscale and impractical and nothing more than symbolic.
How they manage to portray that characteristic of the DE will be very interesting. I reckon the blades on vehicles is okay, but all over the costumes they just get silly imho.
I think that they should look a little more like eldar. Since they are eldar that drink souls to keep slaanesh away. I really hope they restyle everything. Cept the raiders and ravagers. Because i donthave the money to buy different ones
The old vehicles will do just as nicely
says Chibi with 9 reavers, 4 raiders and a couple of ravagers
Totally naff when it comes to using them so a swanky new design ain't gonna make a lot of difference!
Eidolon wrote:I think the new dark eldar wyches should look just like the demonettes+guns
That's exactly what I don't want them to look like. I want the Dark Eldar wyches to be proof that GW can sculpt female faces in plastic without frakking it up. If they take their cue from the plastic daemonettes instead of something like the Dark Elf witches, I'll continue not buying a single GW model until the next opportunity comes up. Plastic Sisters of Battle, presumably.
sum1thtdiesalot wrote:I think that they should look a little more like eldar. Since they are eldar that drink souls to keep slaanesh away. I really hope they restyle everything. Cept the raiders and ravagers. Because i donthave the money to buy different ones
Bikeninja wrote:He gets the flak cause his stuff is just not that great. If I wanted abstract I would go to an art museum not my codex.
Just my two cents.
It's hardly abstract, it's not squiggly lines you can see the raiders quite well given the distance they are drawn at. I love his work. It's got a lovely coarseness and it's not comic book like some of the arty exaggerated stuff produced for 40K 3rd edition which was horrible IMO. It takes me straight back to my childhood with Realms of Chaos.
DOes anybody know, actually 100% sure, that the wyches are going to be all female? Nothin against male ones, but one of the current male wyches looks alot like sean connery from zardoz.
its about damn time next they need to redo grey knights
Automatically Appended Next Post:
sum1thtdiesalot wrote:DOes anybody know, actually 100% sure, that the wyches are going to be all female? Nothin against male ones, but one of the current male wyches looks alot like sean connery from zardoz.
G_Model101 wrote:I don't understand why they couldn't have a silhouette of a dark eldar helmet on a full page towards the back of the magazine with something like "They are coming!". No date, so no pressure and the excitement will build. Then just release snippets of information through White dwarf until the major unveil. Makes sense right?
What's the difference between that and GW's current strategy of,"Leak a couple of details and/or pieces of artwork to the online community every so often,and let the fanbase do the work of hyping the army to the hardcore 40k fans."? Not much incentive for them to do that when there's been a DE rumor thread in every major gaming forum started about every 2 weeks for the last year.
I like John Balnche's art, and miniatures. It's good to see some style and creativity. I don't care if some of his images are indistinct, especially when it's chaos/warp oriented - it creates an effect of 'ooh, what am I looking at?'. The only times I'd fault him are when his drawings look too two-dimensional. I welcome this Dark Eldar art. I hope it's not an accurate representation of the new Dark Eldar ships but, this being John Blanche, it's highly unlikely to be. The feel of the piece is spot on for DE - creepy and weird.
I have to concur with all those who say GW should gives us more info. I understand them not wanting to give a specific release date, but for goodness sake tell us what you have in the works. Give us some sneak previews. At least make an official announcement well in advance. Let's face it, a lot of us have to actually save our money to buy GW products. If they want to make a fast return on their investments, they need to give us decent forewarning of new releases. We probably won't know for sure about new DE, or see any of the miniatures, until a few weeks before their release. Which means I probably won't be able to buy many of them until a couple of months after their release. Same thing happened with Space Hulk, although in that case it was me who lost out, not GW. They kept it secret until the last minute, charged £60, and made it limited edition. I had more important things to spend my money on at the time (like food and rent) so I didn't buy one. I would have, if I'd been given a chance.
Not much incentive for them to do that when there's been a DE rumor thread in every major gaming forum started about every 2 weeks for the last year.
The last year? I think it's been closer to a decade.
Automatically Appended Next Post: I remember seeing John Blanche's work for the first time when I started in 2nd edition. My first thought was "Wow this artist sucks balls and GW needs to get rid of him, stat." This sentiment is reinforced every time I see his work in any context. It's just awful. It's sloppy, it's exaggerated to the point of ridiculous. I find myself trying to exclude it from my perception of the 40k universe, which isn't hard since it doesn't appear to represent it in any direct way. It looks more like generic, surreal sci-fi.
Mark Gibbons, however, is the artist with the greatest ability to capture the spirit of the 40k universe and all its badassery, IMO.
Adrian Smith is just a Mark Gibbons wannabe, but he's done some decent stuff. Unfortunately he also appears to be somewhat of a John Blanche wannabe. And that's really holding him back.
The revealing of new DE art is a good sign and I'm happy to see it. The art itself is bad. It looks like he forgot that he was illustrating DE shortly after he started, and just went on a big Chaos/Tyranid tangent, with his usual 'lots of curly horns growing out of everything!!!' Then he finished and said "Oh crap, I forgot this was supposed to be a DE piece..." So he scribbled in a couple Raiders (with lots of curly horns growing out of them) and called it good. Just awful.
Or they are holding that information back for the UK gamesday? I'm so done with this hobby. Twenty Four more days until my Salvation and Damnation. I've got a buyer for my 40k stuff and it'll pay for Reach and a computer.
sum1thtdiesalot wrote:DOes anybody know, actually 100% sure, that the wyches are going to be all female? Nothin against male ones, but one of the current male wyches looks alot like sean connery from zardoz.
No, but to me it would make sense. If Games Workshop is releasing multipart plastic Wyches, splitting the sprue between males and females would mean you'd only get half the assembly options for each.
Besides, has anyone ever looked at their collection and thought, "This would be a good army, if not for the pressing lack of scantily clad men"?
AlexHolker wrote:Besides, has anyone ever looked at their collection and thought, "This would be a good army, if not for the pressing lack of scantily clad men"?
I think half naked men with GS balloons can yield decent results
According to an interview in WD John Blanche does the conceptual art. He stated that his drawings are to offer opportunities for the sculptors to be creative.
It therefore doesn't matter if there is a lack of detail, he is only trying to suggest possibilities to the sculptors. Concepts are not the same as studio designs that prescribe the look of the finished sculpt.
I remember seeing John Blanche's work for the first time when I started in 2nd edition. My first thought was "Wow this artist sucks balls and GW needs to get rid of him, stat." This sentiment is reinforced every time I see his work in any context. It's just awful. It's sloppy, it's exaggerated to the point of ridiculous. I find myself trying to exclude it from my perception of the 40k universe, which isn't hard since it doesn't appear to represent it in any direct way. It looks more like generic, surreal sci-fi.
So this is suck, and generic?
Plus the 3e book/box cover. Suck and generic? More like awesome and mythos-defining.
AlexHolker wrote
No, but to me it would make sense. If Games Workshop is releasing multipart plastic Wyches, splitting the sprue between males and females would mean you'd only get half the assembly options for each.
Besides, has anyone ever looked at their collection and thought, "This would be a good army, if not for the pressing lack of scantily clad men"?
Since when does GW do stuff that makes sense? But i do agree with you on that second part. The answer is nobody.
Deadshane1 wrote:....but saw very little of anything NEW coming out....and no news about Dark Eldar OR Grey Knights.
Of course not. Why would you go to a publicly traded commercial company's annual trade show to learn about upcoming products? I mean really - that's just a silly idea!
I didn't say that at all. You can criticize all you want, I was simply illustrating the point that he's capable of brilliant stuff, and people seem to equate concept sketches with over-all ability as an artist.
He's not a bad artist at all, GW just has the slowed idea that it's smart to put concept sketches in codexes.
Is it just me, or does the sister of battle in the picture that Ktulhut posted look like Lady Gaga? Not sure if that comment has been made elsewhere before but DAMN....
Except I'm sure that the SoB doesn't have anything dangling between her legs. She looks like she's "all woman."
I actually kinda like that look for them, I really hate people who expect the Sisters to be busty and hot and look like they jumped right out of anime...
Oh, not saying she isn't attractive and that I feel the sisters NEED to be busty and hot and jumping out of anime...but she does have a similar face to Gaga. Maybe it's just my imagination..
People finally abandon all hope and drop the DE,
no one buys the models they squated be.
Guess if the models are cool enough they might sell to the long suffering fans and enough newbs who go ooo pretty dollies, then drop them for something else when they can't win a game.
Blanche is ok his art is not Rackham worthy that is for sure, but as a nebulous start point for sculptors i can see how he leaves them A LOT of room to add their details, or a least a point A.
Reference all the Games Day negativity everyone I knew had a great time...I wish it would have been two days.
GW hasnt said anything about unveiling stuff and have actually said they wont at Games Day why are people disappointed/betrayed?
There was information pics and conversational rumors out there if you looked for it or spent the time talking to the designers present.
It was fun, there was a lot to do, and if you didnt get the price of admission in free stuff you werent trying any of the fun make and take type stuff there.
If all you wanted was rumors and sneek peeks you should not have attended...there was never going to be any.
All you idiots realize that that sister is based on Debbie Harry, not Lady Gaga right? That art came out when you were in diapers and Gaga was in a training bra.
Brother SRM wrote:All you idiots realize that that sister is based on Debbie Harry, not Lady Gaga right? That art came out when you were in diapers and Gaga was in a training bra.
I was in my early twenties when that art came out, and USUALLY didn't wear diapers at that age. Usually...
Ive played the game for 9 years gramps, I do believe thats from the front of the 3rd edition rulebook, the first rulebook I ever owned. None the less there is a resemblance. None of us were claiming it was based on her. Now pat yourself on the shoulder.
Ive played the game for 9 years gramps, I do believe thats from the front of the 3rd edition rulebook, the first rulebook I ever owned. None the less there is a resemblance. None of us were claiming it was based on her. Now pat yourself on the shoulder.
That pic is originally from the SOB codex from 2nd edition which is sitting here on my desk...
Oh, thank you for the correction. It is noted. From now one when someone asks me how old the above picture is, I will know that it is much older than I had originally thought. Fortunately I was never lame enough to own a sisters of battle book or model.
Eidolon wrote:Oh, thank you for the correction. It is noted. From now one when someone asks me how old the above picture is, I will know that it is much older than I had originally thought. Fortunately I was never lame enough to own a sisters of battle book or model.
Chibi Bodge-Battle wrote:
Totally agree and imho a good reason to collect and field an army.
The question was about what would happen if the Codex bombs.
Cool models won't win games and the long term viability of DE could be jeapordised.
May be wrong about that.
Given recent codex/aemy book revamps the chances are there will be the opposite effect and the DE will be super powered.
Blanche defined what 40k is. We wouldn't have half of the mythology without His art style. It all goes back to the old opinion that Picasso is/isn't a brilliant artist. Art is very suggestive, but anyone here can't suggest that John's art hasn't shaped both games systems more than anyone at GW.
orkman wrote:Blanche defined what 40k is. We wouldn't have half of the mythology without His art style. It all goes back to the old opinion that Picasso is/isn't a brilliant artist. Art is very suggestive, but anyone here can't suggest that John's art hasn't shaped both games systems more than anyone at GW.
Oh, please.
Jes Goodwin's minis defined what 40k is, not Blanche's "art" scribblngs.
Blanche's blobs don't sell anything for GW, but Jes' beautiful scuplts sure do. To suggest otherwise is laughable in the extreme.
After having been gone at work all day and come back to find half a page of posts responding to my original Lady Gaga comment, I have posted to apologize to everyone for starting something so horrible.
In order to stay on topic, I can't wait for DE to come back because one of the guys in my gaming group quit 40k until they get updated and we want him back in the circle. Plus the one or two concept pics that circled earlier looked great and I hope they stay semi-true to that art (not any new art-I'm not in the know about anything involving DE!)
orkman wrote:Blanche defined what 40k is. We wouldn't have half of the mythology without His art style. It all goes back to the old opinion that Picasso is/isn't a brilliant artist. Art is very suggestive, but anyone here can't suggest that John's art hasn't shaped both games systems more than anyone at GW.
Oh, please.
Jes Goodwin's minis defined what 40k is, not Blanche's "art" scribblngs.
Blanche's blobs don't sell anything for GW, but Jes' beautiful scuplts sure do. To suggest otherwise is laughable in the extreme.
I never thought I'd say this, but.... couldn't agree more. Blanche's stuff doesn't offend me, but Lord knows that is NOT the reason I got into 40K. the front cover of the second edition Eldar Codex.
I really like the art style from the new BA codex. A lot of the drawings, especially the one in the assault squad entry are my favorite 40k style. With that said I did gain something of an appreciation of Blanche after reading this thread. I like his very abstract 40k style. A little bit of him is cool, but I dont like books like demons, where everything is blanche.
orkman wrote:Blanche defined what 40k is. We wouldn't have half of the mythology without His art style. It all goes back to the old opinion that Picasso is/isn't a brilliant artist. Art is very suggestive, but anyone here can't suggest that John's art hasn't shaped both games systems more than anyone at GW.
Oh, please.
Jes Goodwin's minis defined what 40k is, not Blanche's "art" scribblngs.
Blanche's blobs don't sell anything for GW, but Jes' beautiful scuplts sure do. To suggest otherwise is laughable in the extreme.
Oh yeah, because the miniatures and the pretty pictures in rulebooks are sooo similar. The visual style of 40K was largely defined by Blanche's work, to claim otherwise is laughable in the extreme. No one is talking here about what's selling what.
I bought in specifically based on Jes' minis. And looking at Jes' work, it's not obviously defined by Blanche's red-brown blobs. I've derided Blanche's crap ever since I've seen it. Blanche's a worthless, no-talent hack. Always has been, always will be.
JohnHwangDD wrote: I've derided Blanche's crap ever since I've seen it. Blanche's a worthless, no-talent hack. Always has been, always will be.
I hesitate to comment here because I really don't want to start a flame war. Therefore, this will be my last comment on this. I think it's pretty sad that you have to make such a tactless statement. If you don't like Blanche and he's not to your taste, that's fine, but he's a successful professional artist. His original art sells for a lot of money, so calling him "worthless" is pretty much factually incorrect. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and their own taste. For example, I wouldn't use a photo of a young girl in a wet t-shirt to represent myself, but I don't judge you because you've decided to do so.
I started a dark eldar army when they first came out, and if some of the new models have an "old school" Blanche flavor to them, I think that would be a cool new flavor that's not really represented in the newer ranges. I'm a big fan of some of the older stuff like the chaos renegades (which I feel pulled a lot inspiration from Blanche's aesthetic). Not in terms of "instead of," but more of "in addition too."
JohnHwangDD wrote: I've derided Blanche's crap ever since I've seen it. Blanche's a worthless, no-talent hack. Always has been, always will be.
he's a successful professional artist.
So is Rob Liefeld of X-Men fame.
As with Rob, being a "successful professional artist" doens't require talent, skill, ability or training. It merely requires good connections to someone who will pay for what you do.
For the record, I'm sorry that I'm so harsh here, but I'm really sick and tired of people claiming that Blanche has some actual talent that we should appreciate. His work has never been something that I've admired or respected. He's just a hack that was lucky to get in at the ground floor of GW and was able to ride it up the global ladder. Good for him.
Still doesn't mean he's a talented artist like Jes.
I bought in specifically based on Jes' minis. And looking at Jes' work, it's not obviously defined by Blanche's red-brown blobs. I've derided Blanche's crap ever since I've seen it. Blanche's a worthless, no-talent hack. Always has been, always will be
Jes' work is obviously not a perfect representation of the artistic style of the 40k setting, which is par for the course. The poster child of 40K, the Space Marine, is a prime example of that. What defines a Marine in artwork and what defines it in miniatures is quite different, and if you can't see past the red blobs or understand what approximation is, it's your problem.
Saw a post on BOW that a model looked very good but they refused to say where it was seen presumably because of GW's death threats against staff disclousre of tidbits.
Happygrunt wrote:
Hey, thats right. GW dose NOT stock DE anymore. Is that gunna change with the new release, or will this be the most disappointing release ever?
Because making a new release but not stocking it makes a whole lot of sense?
TyraelVladinhurst wrote:i hope this proves to be true... though i will miss my 2+ invulnerable save wych lord
Aye, I have hard my dark eldar since 2nd ED, It will be a shame to see my crazy Lances, Insane invo saves, awesome Wargear and Raider spam go.
*pats Temporis on the Shoulder* There there, you will have new and shiny things to spam. And maybe GW will stock your product...
Hey, thats right. GW dose NOT stock DE anymore. Is that gunna change with the new release, or will this be the most disappointing release ever?
I'd almost be willing to bet that DE will be very good. They will remain, hopefully, an elite-player's army (i.e., glass hammer to the extreme), but I am guessing their new toys will be more than enough to replace their own. Further, if Jess is doing the model line, it should look great.
My only complaint has been the total silence and uncertainty. On the plus side, if they screw us DE enthusiasts over again, I've suddenly got a thousand bucks in my saving account without a purpose.
Temporis wrote:Aye, I have hard my dark eldar since 2nd ED, It will be a shame to see my crazy Lances, Insane invo saves, awesome Wargear and Raider spam go.
Impressive, especially as they were introduced first in 3rd edition
Happygrunt wrote:[
Hey, thats right. GW dose NOT stock DE anymore. Is that gunna change with the new release, or will this be the most disappointing release ever?
Another tidbit from Frgt/10 over at Warseer: The Talos will get a new model, but not in the first wave.
BTW most information Warseer has on Dark Eldar comes from Dakka
Happygrunt wrote:
Hey, thats right. GW dose NOT stock DE anymore. Is that gunna change with the new release, or will this be the most disappointing release ever?
Because making a new release but not stocking it makes a whole lot of sense?
About as much sense as spending considerable time and money releasing an army and then never supporting it again.
Happygrunt wrote:
Hey, thats right. GW dose NOT stock DE anymore. Is that gunna change with the new release, or will this be the most disappointing release ever?
Because making a new release but not stocking it makes a whole lot of sense?
About as much sense as spending considerable time and money releasing an army and then never supporting it again.
I guess what I was trying to say was that I know very little about them except they get a monstrous beastie rule at present. Don't hear about them being talked about much either.
Cue linkies to a myriad of threads that I missed and they don't get montrous beastie.
Honestly, I am on the edge of my seat waiting for these buggers to come out. I was thinking about maybe doing a proxy Genestealer Cult army using the codex if it looks any good.
I may have to buy a few of the old Incubus models, though. Despite all the hate the Dark Eldar models get, I've always been a bit fond of the Incubi.
I seriously think we should all just troll GW and see what happens. They dick us around for over a decade, and then when they FINALLY listen to our bitching and put out Dark Eldar in between the plethora of Marine releases, we say "Too late, not buying it now."
It's their best-kept secret ever, they got their best to work on the project and put real effort into the release this time, and we all give them the finger and tell them "Took too long!". It's so douchey, but very well-deserved in my opinion. Of course it'd probably just piss them off and they'd never do another xeno codex again, but still...
But I honestly don't think DE actually are coming out, so I don't think there will be an opportunity to troll them.
Sidstyler wrote:I seriously think we should all just troll GW and see what happens. They dick us around for over a decade, and then when they FINALLY listen to our bitching and put out Dark Eldar in between the plethora of Marine releases, we say "Too late, not buying it now."
It's their best-kept secret ever, they got their best to work on the project and put real effort into the release this time, and we all give them the finger and tell them "Took too long!". It's so douchey, but very well-deserved in my opinion. Of course it'd probably just piss them off and they'd never do another xeno codex again, but still...
But I honestly don't think DE actually are coming out, so I don't think there will be an opportunity to troll them.
Oh I don't know, the extreme lack of any actual proof. Just a piece of artwork every few months and more wishlisting about what might be in the codex.
People are insistent that DE are going to be announced at GD next month, but seriously, GW has never kept a secret for that long. Supposedly the entire range is being redone, but there isn't a single picture of even one model, not even blurry, crappy scans.
I'll believe it when I see it, until then it's the same crap as last year, and every year before that. "DE ARE COMIN' GUIS, FO' REAL, AND IT'S THE BEST RELEASE EVAR!"
Sidstyler wrote:
I'll believe it when I see it, until then it's the same crap as last year, and every year before that. "DE ARE COMIN' GUIS, FO' REAL, AND IT'S THE BEST RELEASE EVAR!"
And sad years these have been... i so hope we are all wrong in our negativity. May there be good times for DE players in the not so far future .
There has been some news about variants for the Talos being (somewhat) confirmed, and Harry has agreed to start giving hints about Dark Eldar once August (and thus the summer of Fantasy) ends.
Sidstyler wrote:It's their best-kept secret ever, they got their best to work on the project and put real effort into the release this time, and we all give them the finger and tell them "Took too long!".
This has long been a fantasy of mine. GW really treats its fans like gak.
Archonate wrote:This has long been a fantasy of mine. GW really treats its fans like gak.
Followers, not fans. Followers.
But yeah, like I said it would be a pretty bad idea. Not undeserved since GW have been trolling us for years, but DE really needs to be a success (if they're even coming out) or I think it might mean even more bs Marine favoritism.
Of course, what would it take for DE to be considered a success anyway? Apparently nothing outsells Marines, so wouldn't they likely view it as a failure no matter what?
I originally planned to play Dark Eldar way back when they first came out but was put off by the lame warriors, if they look this good i may be tempted.
joker8911 wrote:I originally planned to play Dark Eldar way back when they first came out but was put off by the lame warriors, if they look this good i may be tempted.
that pic is from the Big Book, in the fluff section.
This may not be any indication at all, but.... I was checking prices for conversions on wych models. Miniaturemarket's price sheet doesn't include any Dark Eldar. They have a note that says that Games workshop is is currently out-of-stock on most of it's Dark Eldar range and to check back regularly for upcoming preorders.
Now I can finally put the kibosh on those pesky nay-sayers.
yes, yes it is
I kinda couldn't resist doing it the once, but I'll refrain in future. 
Jes Goodwin's minis defined what 
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