Finally, an update on December's releases

So, GW has managed to keep an even tighter grip on things than usual in the weeks leading up to the December WD and pre-orders for that month’s new releases.  There has been endless speculation about Tyranids – December or January, or half and half – but with the release today of the official product list for retailers, we can finally put all that to rest.

As you can see below, there will be no ‘Nids in December (boo-hiss!), there will be new Hobbit gear, and there will also be both of the new 40K expansions, Codex: Stronghold Assault, and Warhammer 40K: Escalation.

Some previous rumours about these two expansions are included below, they will at least be very interesting and probably not something we can ignore.

Looking beyond December, the various soothsayers seem to have settled in to the following order of releases for the first half of 2014.  There has been no reliable information on any of them as of yet, except for one leaked picture of new dual-purpose Hive Guards for Tyranids:

January – March, 2014 – Tyranids, Dwarfs, Imperial Guard

April – June, 2014 – Wood Elves, Orks

It then gets a little more iffy, but some speculation is leaning towards:

July – September, 2014 - WFB 9th, Bretonnians, Space Wolves

October – December, 2014 - ???

Apply as much salt as you can lay your hands on, but if that all does follow, then with respect to 40K, that would leave Dark Eldar, Blood Angel, Necrons and Grey Knights still to be updated for 6th.  The previous release order was IG, SW, Tyranids, BA, DE, GK and Necrons, so anything might be possible in Q4 for 2014, but Dark Eldar would certainly seem to have a very good chance for an update right on the 4-year cycle.



Expansion book rumours

Via Faeit212, so ………
http://natfka.blogspot.com/2013/10/40k-fortification-supplementexpansion.html#more

”anonymous source on Natfka” wrote:

There are going to be two new expansions for Warhammer 40k in December, both pointed directly at getting new options into your standard 40k games. New Fortifications and Super-Heavy options will become available to play without playing Apocalypse, focusing instead on regular games of 40k.

Stronghold Assault
*40k expansion for regular games of 40k
*Rules for 17 Fortifications like the Wall of Martyrs Imperial Defense Line and the Macro-Cannon Aquila Strongpoint
*Some Contain Several Fortifications that can be Taken as a Group that take up one Fortification Slot
*Upgrades for Fortifications and New Rules for Buildings


Escalation
*40k expansion for regular games of 40k
*Full Rules for 16 Lords of War in a 96page Hardback Release
*Adds a new "Lord's of War" slot to every armies Foc
*Allows certain Super-Heavy units to be fielded in standard 40k games
*Destroyer Weapons
*Some of the New Lords of War
Tyranid Harridan
Eldar Revenant Titan for Eldar and Dark Eldar
Super Heavy Tanks for the Imperial Guard (several)
Khorne Lord of Skulls
Thunderhawk Gunship

”another anonymous source on Natfka” wrote:

There's a supplement that's divided by race with new fortifications and also new racial upgrades to specific fortifications.

For example the aegis defense line is imperial, but there'll be a tau version with a rail cannon instead of Icarus lascannon (not actual rules, just an example).

Currently it's being playtested as requiring a detachment of the race to upgrade the fortification, but that might change (everyone's been using imperial stuff for a long time now).

Just to be clear, the base of the fortification such as bastion, aegis, fortress, etc will all be the same, just the upgrades/guns that will be racially specific.

In so far as models, expect only imperial versions, and a modeling section on converting building racially inspired fortifications.

The book will have the rules for all the currently released fortifications plus a couple new ones (with models) and then as mentioned rules for racial upgrades.

And from Warseer:
http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?383920-Upcoming-expansions&p=6971565&viewfull=1#post6971565

”Endobai” wrote:

I can confirm both expansions.

Hardbacks, c. 100 pages long.
Escalation provides rules for super heavies, gargantuans and D-weapons + 16 unit sheets providing options for all armies.
For example Revenant titan for Eldar and Dark Eldar ( I guess Tantalus was not good enough?).
I'd expect all models released in plastic + 1-2 per army. Thunderhawks are mentioned as one of those vehicles.

Basically mini-Apocalypse with about 50% superheavies which are described.

The fortification supplement gives datasheets for released fortification sets, how to combine some of them and field as larger constructs + various rules for buildings, ruins etc.

Both books include missions and background sections, but fluff is not too important contrary to codex supplements. Treat them as Planetstrike, Spearhead and similar sets of rules we've seen in the past.