Happy new year, everybody! With 2022 over, and a new journey around the sun beginning, we thought this would be a great time to take a break and not release any new miniatures for a while… Nah, just kidding. It’s the 1st of January, and there’s already loads to talk about which will be available to pre-order next weekend.
First up is the start of the latest narrative ark… we mean arc… that will shape the future of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Arks of Omen is here, in the form of book one in the series: Abaddon.
Available in standard and collectors’ editions, Arks of Omen: Abaddon kicks off the new story with a team-up between the eponymous Despoiler and the new daemon on the block, Vashtorr the Arkifane.
As well as spinning an epic yarn, Arks of Omen: Abaddon lets you take part in the saga of the Balefleets by introducing rules and missions for Boarding Actions – a whole new way to play Warhammer 40,000, offering fast-paced games set within the confines of voidcraft, space hulks, and orbital stations.
Of course, to play games in a spaceship, you’ll first need a spaceship – or at least a board’s worth of spaceship terrain, such as the contents of the Boarding Actions Terrain Set. This set contains two sturdy double-sided gaming boards and 68 pieces of massively modular terrain, which can be used for the Boarding Actions missions in the Arks of Omen series.
Fans of larger games also have something to look forward to in the Chapter Approved: Arks of Omen: Grand Tournament Mission Pack. This is the complete guide to matched play for the first half of 2023, with revised tournament missions, new and updated secondary objectives for every faction, and a brand-new Detachment that gives players much more flexibility when building their armies.
If you want to muster a fresh army to take advantage of the Arks of Omen Detachment, there are also four new Adeptus Astartes Battleforces* that’ll give you a great starting point – or help you expand on your army with loads of models and Chapter-themed upgrades.
The Scions of Macragge Battleforce box features two of the greatest heroes of the Ultramarines, alongside the solid core of a Codex-compliant collection in the form of Intercessors, Hellblasters, and Bladeguard Veterans.
The White Scars Battleforce is the Storm of Chogoris – perfect for Fast Attack fanatics, with a Primaris Chaplain on Bike joined by two squads of Outriders and a pair of Invader ATVs, plus Kor’sarro Khan and his adorable bird pal.
On the other end of the scale are the Iron Hands, whose March of Iron Strike Force teams up two hulking Redemptor Dreadnoughts with 10 Intercessors, a Primaris Techmarine, and Iron Father Feirros.
Finally, the Salamanders Warforged Strike Force is great for fans of infantry assaults – not to mention flamers and meltas – with 20 Intercessors, three Eradicators, three Aggressors, and Adrax Agatone to oversee them all.
Each of these Battleforce sets will give you a strong start to a Space Marines army, tailored to the way you want to play.
You can also add to each of these collections with the latest collection of Space Marine Heroes, which features six different Space Marines to collect, packed in blind bags. Try your luck and see which Blood Angels battle-brother you receive, or buy a box and get all six, with two extras! They can be painted as any Chapter, and can be built with a choice of helmet or bare head.
For the more traitorous among you, a set of Black Legion dice are also on the way, containing 15 dice in two-tone swirly black with golden pips, sporting the effortlessly ironic Eye of Horus sigil in place of the six.
From the grim darkness of the far future, to the equally grim darkness of the slightly nearer future, there are more Warhammer: The Horus Heresy torsos and shoulder pads coming for Loyalists and Traitors alike.
The Salamanders are getting a Made to Order set of five torsos for Mark III armour, bedecked with drake scales and flames. The Word Bearers torsos are designed for Mark IV armour, and feature Colchisian runes and lots of fluttering papers for you to inscribe very small prayers to the Dark Gods on.
Both Legions also have shoulder pads – Mark II and Mark IV for the Salamanders, and Mark II and Mark III for the Word Bearers. These all include sculpted Legion symbols, to save you time as you expand your Horus Heresy armies.
All of these resin accessories will be available to order from Friday the 6th of January until Monday the 16th of January before disappearing back into the archives. Make sure to outfit your armies while you can!
In the world of Blood Bowl, a pair of truly classic Star Players are returning to the pitch after a long absence, sporting brand new models to boot!
Nobbla Blackwart and Scrappa Sorehead have been part of Blood Bowl lore for decades, and their 90s models were the mainstay in many Orcs and Goblins teams. Now, you can unleash the mayhem once again, as Nobbla’s chainsaw and Scrappa’s pogo stick (yes, really) are taking to the pitch once more.
This mischievous pair can play for Badlands Brawl and Underworlds Challenge teams, and will be sure to give your opponents a headache – or a very close haircut, in Nobbla’s case.
The scribes of the Black Library are also starting the year off with a bang, as the paperback of Mortis, book five in the Siege of Terra series, arrives, alongside a map of the Mercury-Exultant Kill-Zone that features in the novel.
Mortis, by Horus Heresy veteran John French, sees Titans and their crews step to the forefront of the story, as the Traitor forces continue to break through the Imperial Palace defences and close in on the beleaguered Loyalists.
The map is a large-scale reproduction of the one found in the book, measuring 596mm x 420mm, and printed on cotton. It comes in a faux-leather wrap to keep it safe and let you roll it out dramatically, like one of Rogal Dorn’s sub-commanders pointing out weak spots in the defences. It’s secured with a leather cord and a metal pendant featuring the sigil of the Titan Legions.
Also coming next week is Wrath of the Lost, a new tale of the Flesh Tearers by Chris Forrester. A force of the savage Blood Angels successors, newly reinforced by Primaris Space Marines, travel to their home world of Cretacia to discover what has befallen their brethren there. You’ll be able to order this new novel in hardback, eBook and MP3 audiobook editions.
Robert Rath’s novel Assassinorum: Kingmaker, in which a pair of Imperial Assassins must team up to rescue a world that teeters on the brink of darkness, is also going to be available in paperback for the first time.
Finally, French and German readers can enjoy Astorath: Angel of Mercy by Guy Haley in hardback and eBook.
In this Blood Angels novel, the Redeemer of the Lost joins the Red Wings Chapter as they experience strange events and battle monstrous xenos foes, and face the possibility of extinction.
This week’s Battle Report pits the Astra Militarum against Necrons in a Strike Force mission from the Chapter Approved: Arks of Omen – Grand Tournament Mission Pack. This clash of man vs machine is the first large-scale battle report using the new Astra Militarum codex, and the army is led by none other than Lord Solar Leontus himself.
You’ll also be able to get loads of tips and tricks for painting Gloomspite Gitz models in the latest Citadel Colour Masterclass.
Here on Warhammer Community, you’ll be able to check out new models, find out all about New Year, New Army, see the first Metawatch of 2023, and get a closer look at Boarding Actions.
To make sure you don’t miss a single piece of what’s coming this year – and it’s a LOT – sign up to the Warhammer newsletter for regular updates direct to your inbox.
* All four Space Marine Battleforces are delayed slightly in Australia and New Zealand
