White Dwarf Issue #99: Daemonic Assault

White Dwarf reviews operate differently than other Blood of Kittens Reviews. The goal with these reviews is to place a value for each issue. The rating system is one to four stars, each star represents $1 in value, to a max of four dollars. The review values are also Warhammer 40k based; Age of Sigmar dedicated issues will still be reviewed, but valued for Warhammer 40k players. It means you could see many low valued issues, with a general Games Workshop hobbyist actually valuing them more. Keep this in mind when deciding if a particular White Dwarf Issue is good for you.

Contents: Scourge of the Xenos

In typical end of the year fashion, GW gives us about two weeks of no new releases and reviews the year that has past. This issue of White Dwarf starts off with a look at the 3rd Company of the Ultramarines. It is a studio army and gives us a bit of rehashed background for this part of the Chapter. The Images are good, but the fluff isn’t anything you couldn’t find in your codex or on the Internet.

Contents: Parade Ground

One of the best features of this this White Dwarf is the parade ground for Horus Heresy era legions. We get the Sons of Horus, Death Guard, Salamanders, Raven Guard, and the World Eaters. Accompanying the images are the GW paints you should use to create the classic looks. This is a great tool without going into too much detail for painting a Horus Heresy Legion.

Contents: Illuminations

My favorite part of Age of Sigmar has been the art work. It goes from digital, to sketch, to highly stylized. This section gives us a good cross section, with two of my favorites pieces below. It is just too bad GW refused to give credit to the artists who make these wonderful illustrations.

Contents: Assassinorum – Daemonicus

Here we get some bonus rules for the Assassinorum Execution Force game. It changes up the final baddy to be a Daemon Prince, making the game more difficult, but if you have already played it a few times this is a needed! You can find a link to Black Library so you can print out the rules shown below.

Contents: Golden Daemon

Holy shit! The section has one of the best dioramas I have seen from Golden Demons in a bit. It is a Blood Angel diorama showcasing each of the unique parts that make up the Chapter. Gareth Nicholas use of layering and marble techniques are jaw dropping.

Contents: Betrayal At Calth – Rise

Here we get another mission for the Betrayal At Calth boardgame. Daemons are introduced to the mix. In a clever twist, both players can take control of these beasts. The rules are streamed lined, you can use any of the four basic Daemon Troop choices you want. BaC is very underrated as a boardgame and it is great to see GW continue to support it with new models and ways to expand the play.

Contents: The Week In…

The week in useless information has more rehashed Ultramarine fluff, along with some decent assembly tips for putting together Calth models with new upgrade packs from Forge World.

Next Issue Hint: We Review the Year, and you vote for your Favorite Miniature.

Final Verdict

Issue #99 is a fantastic issue providing new rules and missions for Warhammer 40k based products. The Betrayal at Calth mission being the highlight. In addition, we get a tougher challenge for the Execution Force game, and along with easy to follow painting templates for Horus Heresy chapters. This is a great and easy stocking stuffer for Christmas, especially if a person has the boardgames already.