Games Day UK, Sept. 23 - who is going and do you expect any DE?

Games Day UK is this coming Sunday, September 23rd. Of course, the big news will be the fast-approaching Chaos Spez Muh-reenz releases and their shiny new codex, plus the re-formatted White Dwarf magazine, supposedly available for sale the day before.

My questions for TDC's denizens are:

1) who is planning on attending?

and 2) does anyone realistically expect to hear/see any tidbits about the remaining, missing DE units - Vect, Sliscus, Malys, The Baron and The Decapitator, and *drum roll* the Voidraven bomber?

I won't be going this year, my best bet is for anyone to just do some basic asking questions to Jes and Phil. Jes is normally really cool and down to earth about things, try nudging them.

I wouldn't be surprised if we see some sort of DE prototype from FW mayhaps.

If anyone goes make sure to tell Phil to get them to make reaver bladvane attacks be resolved in a similar manner to Screamers of Tzeentch "slashing attacks". I.e use the final position of the models for the purpose of wound allocation (rather then this randomising rubbish).

I would have loved to attend, but unfortunately I don't have time. :'(
I would shake their hands and thank them for such an amazing Codex, but also, I'd be interested in their opinions as to why some special rules described in the codex entry of some units never made it into the game. For example:

- Why don't the Incubi's Tormentors count as frag grenades? They describe it as leaving the enemy whacking in pain prior to assault, WHY DON'T THEY COUNT AS FRAG GRENADES?
- The Ravager entry describes how the crew gets assigned to a specific target that it has to destroy, after which they are allowed to roam freely. Why don't Ravagers have Preferred Enemy or Tankhunters against one target each?
- The Venom is said to fit through webway passages designed for human-sized beings. Why can't it enter the game via webway portal?
- The Voidraven is said to not make a single sound except for the explosion of its bombs. Why doesn't it have Shrouding or a similar rule to represent it and why is the oh-so-destructive voidmine not remove from play or at least AP1?
- The Razorwing is said to be the fastest thing out there, yet it's outclassed by Vendettas and Storm Talons all over the place. So why doesn't it have at least Vector Dancer?
- What the hell were they thinking with Mandrakes and the Decrapitator? No really, what were they thinking?

Wouldn't it be nice if someone who actually went there could ask this? What would you like to ask them?

Kinnay wrote:

What would you like to ask them?

Who do I have to kill to get a Webway Assault speical rule for all our units?

I'm expecting a big HH handfest and hopefully the preview of chaos. It has been a long time since games days delivered any scoops. Its just not GW policy to show anything till it hits the shelves now.

I completely forgot, it's probably too late for me to get organised for it now.

I would have gone in my Archon cosplay, if just because I think it would give me leverage on such Dark Eldar related questions.

I shall be going and will try to ask Phil and Jes a few questions regarding both the dark kin and their Craftworld cousins. I'm very much interested in the Voidraven and Vect so they'll be top of my list, along with a few queries as to why certain things don't have certain rules. I'll also be entering Golden Demon with a Urien Rakarth painted in the same colours as the Codex artwork.

Alright then! Would you ask the questions I wrote down?

Starstrider wrote:

I shall be going and will try to ask Phil and Jes a few questions regarding both the dark kin and their Craftworld cousins. I'm very much interested in the Voidraven and Vect so they'll be top of my list, along with a few queries as to why certain things don't have certain rules. I'll also be entering Golden Demon with a Urien Rakarth painted in the same colours as the Codex artwork.

Please do ask about Vect/Voidravens.
Oh, any chance of pics of your Urien entry?

Good luck with your Golden Demon entry, Starstrider. That's awesome news, and yes, we demand pics!

Barking Agatha suggested that Phil Kelly is not satisfied with how Mandrakes ended up, and he would not be alone. for anyone who is going to attend, I would be very curious to know if they would consider FAQ'ing and tweaking Mandrakes at some point in the future. Not a lot, but just enough to truly do them justice.

Ditto for the Decapitator. I wonder if, when they do finally release the other DE characters, he will remain in his dark lair partly because they know no one will buy him or use him in his current "unfinished" state.

Cheers.

Why are agonisers not poison? And please if you have time the whole reaver randomization thing taking ages to resolve.


"Mr Kelly, I have this friend who likes to run 27 reavers and he gets upset every time he has to spend 5 minutes randomizing wounds, especially when screamers of tzeentch have the same tubo-boost attack and simply use their final position for the purpose of allocating wounds, why do reavers randomise? *puppy eyes*

That's your script.

Hope you have a great time.

EDIT: Best question ever: Why do our HQs not get Reaver Jet bikes, even the succubus who has hardly any choices in her entry? I mean farseers can ride jet bikes and they are old men!

Lol @ last question.

I hope we'll get lots of juicy info. Whoever goes, don't be shy to post anything you can on here!

PLEASE ask Mushkilla's last question! Please also include Skyboards/Hellglaives/etc...
Scourge style jumppacks I am not as conserned about, but would have been nice none-the-less

Blind_Baku wrote:

PLEASE ask Mushkilla's last question! Please also include Skyboards/Hellglaives/etc...
Scourge style jumppacks I am not as conserned about, but would have been nice none-the-less

To be fair, Skyboards are meant to be the ride of the poor lowlifes, it would be like the CEO of a company riding to work on a skateboard.

Wings on the other hand are for the rich and well-off, and would be rather more fitting. Although I think rather than giving wings to Archons it would be better to have a Scourge Special Character, like an aerie matriarch or something, sort of a stuck-up counterpart to the Baron.

But succubus need some more option and would be a good way to distinguish her from the archon. Jetbike & skilled rider for 35-40pts, done deal. Would be a lot of fun to play too.

Erm... I shall do my best to ask all those questions... if I can remember them all . I may indeed have to write myself a script before going lol! So... Incubi, Voidraven, SCs, Succubus and Archon options, Mandrakes, Decapitator, agonisers and Reaver Randomisation. Is that it? I think I'll also inquire about the Court and Vect's Dias, specifically the Lhamean, minimal requirements, points cost and lack of Aerial Assault. Special rules for our flyers and WWP also spring to mind. Anything else?

Of course I will put pics of Urien up when I am done. Sad to say I had a bit of an incident with super glue and the back of his cloak has a slightly textured oval on it. Regardless, I am happy with the rest of the model so far and it is high time I put up some pics of my Deldar in general. On that note, back to Urien! (no, he's not quite done yet! )

Thanks Starstrider, and good luck with Urien.

EDIT: In the fluff there is an Archon who began his career as a reaver (Lord Vraesque Archon of the Kabal of the Flayed Skull).

Mushkilla wrote:

But succubus need some more option and would be a good way to distinguish her from the archon. Jetbike & skilled rider for 35-40pts, done deal. Would be a lot of fun to play too.

Oh yeah I agree on Jetbikes, that's like riding a fancy motorbike around, whereas a Skyboard is the equivalent of a skateboard.

Also, Ravagers and tank hunters (or Preferred Enemy) for their first target, Venoms and WWP. Totally second the other questions!

Thanks!

Starstrider wrote:

Erm... I shall do my best to ask all those questions... if I can remember them all ......

Just enjoy the day and don't worry too much about us. The Earth will still be rotating Monday morning.

Get that GD!

Haha, thanks Gob! Hopefully pics will be up tonight or some time tomorrow. Then I have to get to my local store at 4:45 Sunday morning. Right... I was tempted to get a Tantalus and Reaper but have instead decided on a Wraithseer, Nightwing and limited art prints of Path of the Outcast and Path of the Incubi. I'll be sure to post pics of all this cool stuff and the day itself for you guys at some point.

I went today with my two boys. We had a blast! Other than that there was no new DE stuff.

In the Forgeworld stand i happened upon some concept art of a giant grotesque type construct carrying a liquefier cannon.

There were also several liquefier armed wrack torsos growing out of its back. They were melded into its body.

Looked great, probably nothing we will see any time soon, if ever.

But i liked it.

Apparently there was some voidraven art with Jes which was sadly removed. According to warseer it is a big kit and they are having technical trouble with it.

Thanks Venkh, hopefully we will be able to find some pics of it soon. Will add them if we do.

Yes, re: the VR, this is the only other comment about DE that I have emerge from GDUK so far, it's from Crayg on Warseer:
http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?353117-UK-Gamesday-2012&p=6434593&viewfull=1#post6434593

crayg wrote:

While I was flicking through Jes Goodwin's Dark Eldar sketch book I saw concept art for the Void Raven bomber. "Oops, I should probably have taken that out" he said with a wink.
No pictures were allowed, but it's larger than the raven wing, with an elongated nose. The nose looked like it had a pattern cut out of it, but when I asked Jes he said it was a canopy and the way he imagined it was the pilot would be in the nose section leaning forward like the reaver jetbike models. He wouldn't give anything away on whether a model was due or if such a model would even resemble this sketch.
When I returned in the afternoon to show a friend the sketch had been removed and replaced with a Web Way Gate sketch. I saw the sketch was dated 2006 and asked Jes how far in advance he knew about 6th edition and if this was intended to work as a fortification. He was, again, very tight lipped and only said that anything not already produced was just waiting for a big green GO button.

Jenage added this two posts later:

jenage wrote:

Jervis told me they are having problems with the kit production as it is a very large kit!

So, no news really. This line about production problems has been around for quite a while now.

Apologies for the delay everyone, I was more than a little tired when I got back home yesterday. Unfortunately I didn't get anywhere with my Golden Demon entry but I'll still put some pics up later. I have to say though that both 40k squad and duel was full of Dark Eldar. Memorable duels being 2 Reavers fighting each other as they raced side by side, a Wych running up a Venomthrope's tentacle, blade at the ready and a Scourge landing on an upraised Storm Shield, weapons aimed at the Marine's face. In fact, I believe the bronze or silver winner featured a Wych fighting a Space Marine.

I tried to talk to Phil and Jes as much as I could but it was more difficult than I expected due to them both having very large parts in the new Chaos release and so most of their time was spent talking about that. I did try to ask Jes about the Voidraven and SCs but he simply said that the designs were done and they were waiting for the "go button" from higher up. Phil was even harder to get talking about anything non-Chaos and just when I managed to start a conversation about Eldar and Dark Eldar (shoving a relevant Codex at him to be signed usually has the desired effect) he said he had to go for a tea break just when I was about to ask him the questions we all wanted to know so apologies there. He did say that there could be Eldar version of certain Dark Eldar weapons in the next Codex though such as haywire blasters and heat lances as he seems very keen on emphasising they are both one of the most advanced races in the galaxy and have the same origins but have developed different approaches to life after the Fall.

Don't despair though because I also spoke to Neil Roberts who does the artwork for the recent Eldar and Dark Eldar BL books as well as most of the Horus Heresy covers. He said that he really wants to portray Eldar and Dark Eldar as being very scary and dangerous, not "poncy space-elves." One of his upcoming covers features Eldar Wraithlords that looked a bit different and while talking to him about the way he portrays Eldar I commented on this. He described them as being pre-heresy Eldar and said to keep an eye upon for more of them and similar things in the future. Whether models, artwork or novels wasn't clear and it was obvious he wouldn't say any more. One thing he said though was how he really wants to portray Eldar and Dark Eldar as being very scary, not "poncy space-elves" Lest we forget, Forge World have said there will be xenos featuring in the upcoming Horus Heresy novels.

Speaking of Forge World, Will Hayes (the guy behind the Phantom Titan) seemed very keen to return to Eldar and perhaps Dark Eldar as well. A Warlock Titan is clearly the main thing on his mind. When I asked about any potential additions to the Phantom Titan such as new weapon arms, he said he was thinking about a tremor cannon/sonic lance like the Revenant and as described in Path of the Warrior/Seer as well as a massive heat lance. I said a massive haywire weapon would be cool and he replied that he liked that idea a lot.

I also spoke to the new White Dwarf team. A few interesting comments was to expect to see more and more painting articles like the ones in this month's White Dwarf, including some of the articles that were removed from the website when the new paints were released. There will also be more terrain features and guides and although they did say Fortifications will be done as well, they wouldn't say any more on the subject. They seem to want to show concept sketches from designers such as Jes more and more although higher ups aren't entirely happy with too much coverage. They said that they usually work about 3 months in advance and they want to feature readers' models more as well.

So, despite disappointment with Golden Demon and not being able to talk to Jes and Phil as much as I would have liked, overall it was a great day and I'll put pics up at some point. I managed to get some rather nice pics of Eldar and Dark Eldar displays and 'Eavy Metal models to show you. Plus some snap of the various Eldar themed Armies on Parade.