An Introduction to the different Specialist Games

- What is Inquisitor? -
Inquisitor is often described as a narrative skirmish game, and primarily deals with the intrigues and opposing viewpoints of the Holy Inquisition, with Inquisitors frequently coming to blows over their differing philosophies. Unlike most of the games set in the 40k universe, Inquisitor is not set on the front-lines of a war zone where vast armies clash, but on the front-lines of another war; a shadowy secret war where there is no wrong and right, no good and evil, only shades of grey.

Those of you who have read Dan Abnett's Eisenhorn will have a good idea of what the game is designed to represent - an Inquisitor and his closest followers fighting a secret war to defend the Imperium against powerful, well-connected enemies. As in Eisenhorn, the characters in Inquisitor are often not members of the Imperial military; they are usually not renowned heroes just man and women gathered by an Inquisitor because they have the skills and determination necessary to fight the encroaching darkness. Often they die alone and unremembered by the millions of citizens whose lives they have saved. Inquisitor is your chance to tell their story.

Of course, you could just play Inquisitor as a highly detailed skirmish game, but generally you'll find that without the story element, players will get bored and go back to games like Necromunda and Kill-team which are designed with these small scale skirmishes in mind. A good Inquisitor campaign will have players desperate to find out what's going to happen next, and often as the characters develop the story will flow organically from one game to the next.

- What kinds of characters can I play? -
The simple answer is that you can play as anyone in the Imperium (or even as someone from beyond it's borders). Warbands are typically led by a powerful individual such as an Inquisitor, Rogue Trader or Tech-Priest, but their warband or retinue can include warriors, scribes, psykers, assassins, servitors and anyone else you'd care to mention.

New players often make warbands consisting solely of archetypes taken straight from their favourite army, and although there's no reason an Inquisitor couldn't recruit a Stormtrooper, Battle Sister or Imperial Guard Sniper; these players are missing out on some of the fun of the game. With Inquisitor you're not restricted by army lists and codexes, so let your imagination run wild.

- Can I play as a Space Marine? -
You can, but it's worth remembering just how tough, and how rare the Astartes are. Space Marines in Inquisitor live up to their superhuman reputation – they are incredibly powerful; able to punch a man's head off his shoulders or charge through a hail of gunfire unscathed. And this is how it should be - they are humanity's finest after all. However, their prodigious strength, deadly weapons and the near invulnerability their power armour affords them means that should one appear on the tabletop, the entire game will often revolve around them distracting players from the real objectives and skewing the narrative. For this reason, their use is often discouraged or restricted.

Of course, that doesn't mean you can't still have an Astartes themed warband. Why not have a band made up of a trusted Chapter Serf accompanied by a failed Neophyte and a servitor? Perhaps they were sent on some secret mission by the Chapter Master, during the course of which they might cross paths with an Inquisitor on a mission of his own.

- In Warhammer 40k I play Chaos/Orks/Eldar/Necrons/Tau etc, can I use them in Inquisitor? -
Chaos players will find it easy to fit a warband into a game of Inquisitor. They could play a warband consisting of a Cult Magos attempting to overthrow Imperial rule; or as an Inquisitor who has delved too deeply into the forbidden and succumbed to the power offered to him by the Dark Gods. Players who want xenos-themed warbands will probably find it more difficult to fit their characters into the game, as Inquisitor is generally Imperium-centric. That said it's not impossible to run a xenos-themed warband, you just have to think outside of the box a little more - see below for a few ideas.

- Tyranids - Genestealer Cults are tailor made for Inquisitor. A warband might include the Cult Magos, a hybrid and a brood brother. Other options include the sad deluded fools who have come to worship the Great Devourer.
- Eldar - As you'd expect, Eldar in Inquisitor are highly skilled but fragile; even so even a single Ranger is capable of taking on an opposing warband. For this reason Eldar warbands typically consist of just 1-2 members, and are usually made up of outcasts such as Pirates and Rangers.
- Dark Eldar - The Dark Eldar have been known to sponsor anti-Imperial cults, and so a good Dark Eldar warband might include a Haemonculus with a couple of his rather nasty creations.
- Necrons - The Necrons themselves are not well suited to Inquisitor, being either extremely powerful or mindless automatons - however there are rumours that some within the Adeptus Mechanicus worship an ancient God who is buried beneath the sands of Mars...
- Tau - The Tau have made many attempts to bring Imperial worlds into the Greater Good without resorting to force. A warband of Gue'vessa (human renegades) commanded by a Water Caste envoy would make a great warband. Or how about a secretive Fire Caste black ops character accompanied by reconnaissance drones.
- Orks - generally Orks are not well suited to Inquisitor; they care nothing for the subtle plots and intrigue that are the staple of Inquisitor campaigns. However, if you do want to play as Orks then how about the Freebooterz - an ork pirate kaptain and his crew? Or a bunch or renegade grotz who have struck out on their own.

- How do I know whether my warband is balanced or fair if there are no points values? -
Simple answer, you don't. But then Inquisitor is not about perfectly balanced teams fighting to the death; and some games may well be won through use of brains rather than brawn. That said, it's no fun if your warband just gets slaughtered by the opposition before you get anywhere near your objective. The Games Master (GM) is there to ensure that everyone has fun and no one feels that they don't have a chance. He may do this by restricting the number of powerful characters on the board, or by giving the more powerful side more difficult objective to perform. The ideal situation is for the GM to sit with the players while they develop their characters, and ensure that each warband is roughly equal and then make adjustments as necessary over the course of the games.

It's worth pointing out that although it might be fun to design characters who are great warriors, armed with the best weapons and finest armour, the sorts of heroes who can scatter entire armies – these are often not the most fun to play. If your opponent is totally outclassed then the game probably won't be much fun – where's the glory in slaughtering an opponent who had no chance in the first place? (On the other hand, if your opponent does manage to beat you, he'll be able to brag for weeks!) Characters need to be at such a level that they have to strive to succeed, you don't want to make it too easy for them, and you definitely don't want the game to turn into an arms race as players take ever more powerful weapons and armour in order to defeat their opponent.

Think of Inquisitor as being like an action movie – Die Hard is exciting because Bruce Willis is one unarmed man against a whole building full of terrorists (and that's before he loses his shoes!). When he wins in the end, we all cheer because we watched him strive to overcome the odds. If Die Hard had starred Batman instead of Bruce Willis it'd have been over before the opening credits and we'd all be waiting for the real villain to turn up and make it a real challenge.

New players will no doubt notice that at the back of the rulebook is a Ready Reckoner that attempts to assign points values to characters, and they may be tempted to use it. Experience has led veteran players to conclude that the Ready Reckoner is worse than useless, it doesn't give an accurate indication of how powerful a character is and can often be misleading. Therefore, use of the Ready Reckoner is strongly discouraged.

Remember, with great power comes great responsibility – Inquisitor gives you unrivalled power in designing your characters, be sure to use it wisely.

- How much does it cost to get started? -
Less than you'd think. The rulebook is free (see below) and all you need to play your first game is one character each. Most games are played with 2-3 players, each with 3-4 characters (any more than that and the game slows to a crawl due to the level of detail involved), so even a good sized warband costs less than a couple of squads for 40k. A good way to think about it is that a single Inquisitor miniature is about equivalent to a squad in 40k, both in terms of their effect on the game and the amount of time you'll spend converting and painting them – when thought of in those terms, Inquisitor can seem a lot cheaper than at first glance.

- Do I have to play at 54mm? -
Of course not, many players play Inquisitor using 28mm models (known as Inq28) by simply using a scale of 1 yard = 1/2" (or 1yard = 1cm).

There are pros and cons to both 54mm and 28mm. The 54mm models are undeniably cooler, are better proportioned and somehow feel more like real characters than the rather impersonal little grunts we're all used to killing in droves in games of 40k. On the other hand, it is true that you can build a whole 28mm warband for the cost of one 54mm miniature.

The real disadvantage to Inq28 is that the temptation to use a squad of Grey Knights, a Daemon Prince, or a Necron Lord can prove impossible for some people to resist; and while such things might make a great climax to an Inquisitor campaign, they're not really suited to most games.

- Do I have to build all new terrain to play at 54mm? -
The lack of 54mm terrain is a common reason new players give for playing at 28mm, but in reality this is a non-issue. Much of the terrain available from GW works great at 54mm. Hills, jungles and ruins can be used without difficulty, and the imposing proportions of the Cities of Death terrain means that they too are well suited to 54mm gaming. In addition, Necromunda terrain is perfect for playing games of Inquisitor - what does it matter if the odd doorway is a touch small? If you're one of those people who prefers to make their own terrain, then it should be obvious that with a bit of thought it's easy to make terrain that will work perfectly well for both 54mm and 28mm.

- There aren't many 54mm models in the Inquisitor range, so why would anyone play at 54mm? -
The 54mm models give huge scope for conversion, especially when you realise that many of the parts designed for the 'heroic' proportions of the 28mm range will work perfectly well on 54mm models. The larger scale means parts are not as fiddly, and sculpting is easier as you don't need a magnifying glass to see what you're doing – in fact many people find that their converting, sculpting and painting skills improve no end when working at the larger scale.

In addition, 54mm (or 1/32) is a very common scale and there is a huge range of non-GW models who with a little conversion work will fit perfectly into the 41st millennium. Some alternate manufacturers include Andrea Miniatures, Pegaso Miniatures and Romeo Models. In addition, companies like Tamiya and Airfix do 1/32 military miniatures which are a good source of cheap NPC goons.

- Isn't Inquisitor a dead game now that Specialist Games is no longer around? -
Inquisitor is far from dead, and as long as players continue to play then it won't die. Like the rest of the Specialist Games range, Inquisitor no longer gets much in the way of support from GW. Fortunately there is a hard core of dedicated players who have taken on the mantle of support, and in many ways this has worked to benefit Inquisitor. Unlike most games, the Inquisitor ruleset is designed to be treated as little more than a set of guidelines for players to take and expand as they see fit, and for this reason the distinction between 'offical' material produced by GW and 'unoffical' fan produced material is essentially meaningless.

The fan community is producing a steady stream of material for the game, in the form of new rules, scenarios and more - many of these are published by Dark Magenta (see below) in their on-line fanzine. Recently Dark Magenta have also started to publish sourcebook detailing some of the many factions of the Inquisition (in the same manner as the Thorian Sourcebook published by GW). A group of fans have also started work on overhauling the ruleset with the intention of creating Inquisitor v2.0 - these plans are at an early stage, but already there has been some interest from the games designers at GW.

- The rules look complicated - don't games take forever to play? -
New players can feel overwhelmed when they first read the rulebook, there are a lot of rules and loads of modifiers, but don't worry - as with most games, the rules are a lot simpler than they first appear. You probably will find yourself refering to the rulebook quite a bit at first, but almost all of the charts you need are collected together on a single A4 reference sheet.

The important thing to remember is to have fun and if the rules are getting in the way of either the story or your enjoyment, then do what most experienced players do and ignore them! The GM is there to arbitrate the game and to make sure it's fun - if a player wants their character to do something that's risky and exciting, then the GM isn't there to punish him by imposing stiff penalties. In fact he probably ought to give them a good chance of success (even if it means ignoring a few rules), because a game where characters heroicly leap between buildings, dive through plate glass windows and swing across bottomless pits is more fun than one in which everyone cautiously skulks around and never does anything remotely dangerous.

The biggest mistake new players make is to have too many characters on the table - this is understandable if they're more used to playing whole armies in 40k, but it slows the game down to a crawl. The consensus is that a good size for a fast pased and fun game is for each player to have 2-4 characters, and not to have more than about 10 characters in total (some of which may be NPCs controlled by the GM).

If you're still feeling overwhelmed, issue 1 of Dark Magenta (see below) contains a great set of 'training' scenarios designed for the express purpose of learning the rules.

- Okay, I'm interested - where do I go now? -
Well, the first thing to do is get hold of a copy of the rulebook, which can be bought from the GW on-line store. Alternatively, the Living Rulebook is available to download free from the Resources page under the Specialist Games->Inquisitor section of the GW website. The Living Rulebook (or LRB for short) contains all the rules in the bought version (in fact it's a more up-to-date version of the rules), but does not include the colour sections showing pictures of the models.

Next you need to get some models and design a warband. Many new players often find it helpful to get some feedback on their characters by posting them on an on-line forum (see below), if you do this it's worth writing a couple of paragraphs of background so people know something about the character. That way you're going to get more useful feedback to help you come up with a well-rounded character, and more importantly, one who's fun to play.

The Conclave (http://www.the-conclave.co.uk) is the only on-line forum dedicated to Inquisitor, and is a great place to discuss the game and find other players. Many other wargaming forums (such as this one) also have a sub-forum dedicated to Inquisitor or the Specialist Games range in general, so finding other players is not difficult. In addition, members of The Conclave organise regular gaming days at Warhammer World (including the annual Inquisitor Grand Tournament each December) and new players are always welcome.

There is also an on-line Inquisitor fanzine, Dark Magenta (visit http://www.darkmagenta.co.uk). Dark Magenta contains articles on all aspect of the Inquisitor hobby including rules, battle reports and modelling and converting.

Epic​

Overview​

GW released Adeptus Titanicus in 1988 thus Epic was born. The Game was set during the Horus Heresy and involved players battling with customizable Warlord Titans. Infantry tanks artillery etc where added with the release of Space Marine 1st edition).

The game was quite complex as each infantry stand, consisting of five men shot separately and in some cases had different weapons.

More units where added in White Dwarf articles and they where all bound in one volume Codex Titanicus. Which also introduced Orks and Eldar in the fray. More races where included including Imperial Guard, Chaos (other than the traitor marines) and Squats.

Space Marine (2nd edition) released in 1991 simplified the basic rules, but added many special abilities (character) to the armies. Expansions soon followed, Renegades Eldar and Chaos rules, Armies of the Imperium Space Marines and Imperial Guard, Ork and Squat Warlords and finally Tyranids.

Titan Legions was release in 1995. This game tweaked the old 2nd edition rules but did little to add to the system aside from some nice new models and another Imperial army namely that of the Tech Guard and Knight Households.

In 1997 GW release Epic 40 000. A brand new game that brought the Epic universe from the Horus heresy to the year 40 000. The games mechanics were completely re vamped and many of the various special rules and abilities of the game where removed in favour of a more streamlined game. The game did OK with new gamers but bombed with veteran Epic gamers as they say many of their army specific rules and abilities where reduced to a stat line in a book with virtually no difference between pieces except for what the model look like.

Shortly after its release Epic 40K was dropped from the main line and relegated to Specialist Games.

Epic Armageddon was released in 2004 but changed little from Epic 40K. Epic Armageddon allows you to play Space Marines, Imperial Guard, Orks, Eldar, and Chaos.

Game play​

Unlike 40k and WHFB all measurements in Epic are done in Metric. The turns consist of the standard GW fair: Movement, Close Combat, Shooting, and End Phases. Players control whole regiments of troops instead of the small skirmishes that you control in 40k. Epic battles represent invading armies, complete with companies and batteries it is literally combat on an "Epic" scale.

Unfortunately larger games can get bogged down, but for the most part it is a moderately paced game. Falls somewhere in between a small Apocalypse game and a medium sized Fantasy game for time to play.

What makes the game fun​

It is the only game where you can field an entire Space Marine Chapter and have it all fit on a 6' x 4'' table edge and then pack away in something smaller than a shoe box. Titans larger than skyscrapers entire Ork Waaghs, large Eldar Warhosts are just some of the reasons this game was very popular during the 1990's. Also the challenge of painting and modeling pieces that where on average just 6mm high.


Ebay is your best bet for finding rules and pieces. Some on line games stores still the odd piece but they are hard to find. You can still purchase Epic Armageddon pieces and rules the Specialist games but it can be very expensive for beginners.

This link will take you to find everything you need to get started, rules, armiylist etc.

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/co...08&aId=4900003

For those of you who don't know, Blood Bowl is the game of Fantasy Football, only taken to the extreme. The game is set in the world of Warhammer Fantasy Battle and every race in the WFB world has a team that can take to the field. The players, depending on which team you play, may be of mixed races or of the same race.

Team players consist of many different types of models. The basic player is a lineman or equivalent. This is the meat and potatoes of your team and the player type that you’ll field the most of. There are also a number of others like Blitzer’s, runners, throwers, catchers and other more exotic blends. Each type has it's own strengths and weaknesses. The key is to find a balance of them and develop the team to fit your play style.

WHAT YOU NEED-

The basic Blood Bowl Set includes the following:
Blood Bowl Pitch (field)
Dugout and Counters
Throw Range Ruler
Ball Throw in Template
Scatter Template
3 Block Dice
2 Regular D6
1 Regular D8
2 Teams

All of these can be purchased from GW at a price of $75, for the beginners boxed set, or you can get it from E-Bay/Bartertown or similar website. Hell I picked up one 2nd edition complete boxed set for $40 the other day. Your best bet is to look around.

GAME PLAY

The Pitch is the board in which the game is played. Within the pitch there are grid-like squares which represent movement blocks. The goal? To get the Ball from one side of the pitch to the other. Of course this may prove harder than you think because you have to make it through your opponent’s team first!

Example of a pitch:
http://www.creatish.com/core/sam/lor.../wirlwindz.jpg

Within the pitch the vertical line in the center represents the Scrimmage line. This is the point which differentiates one teams side of the field to the other's, and is where most of the team will set up. The two lines which run horizontally represent the wide zone. Each wide zone can only have 2 players set up in it before the kick off. The rest of the players on the team must be set up in between the two wide zones. A total of 11 (Nuffle’s sacred number) players are needed on the pitch in order to start a game. That is, of course, unless someone gets knocked out, badly hurt, or even killed during the game!

Games consist of 2 halves, each with 8 turns for each player. During the player turn you can move or not move as many models around the field as you want. Games will usually last anywhere from 1-2 hours depending on player experience, rules usage, and kick-off table rolls.

You as the player are considered the Coach of the team that you play and decide in all matters of how your team plays.

Essentially there are two ways of play. One off games and League play. One off games are fun and great for beginning players, but the true gem is League play.

THIS IS WHAT MAKES THE GAME FUN

Offically designed for 4+ players to enjoy, a Blood Bowl League can be started by anyone who has the time and patience to put the league together. This person is designated as the Commissioner. The Commissioner is the Judge of all things in his/her league and will decide in all matters during any match that is played under his/her jurisdiction.

But Blood Bowl is not about power trips of the weak willed. The real fun lies in the development of the team that you play over the series of a season. A season can last anywhere from 3-6 months depending on how much your Coaches can get together.

So how do you develop your team you ask?
The Team develops by earning Star Player Points-SPP (essentially experience) for the things that they do during the game. Passing, Touchdowns, Causing Injuries, and Interceptions are the ways to earn these points. You “Level up” by gaining enough SPP for each player to gain abilities. These abilities are called Skills. You can develop each player by picking the skill that you want for him. Other things can be gained like extra Strength, Movement, Agility, and even Armor Value.

So what is the point of all of this? Well at the end of a League there is usually a Tournament of some sort in which a trophy is handed out and you get bragging rights and extra perks for for the rest of the year until that certain tournament comes up again. There are 4 main Tournaments per year winning or even losing one of these Final Rounds will give you extra perks at the end of the game.

HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM WARHAMMER FANTASY BATTLE?
In every single way. For instance Strength is measured against Strength not Toughness. Armor Values range from 5 to 10. Agility Scores are used, and Movement is measured in squares not inches. These are just some of the differences.

Not to mention the different types of Blood Bowl games that are out there. The expansion Dungeon Bowl is set, as you may have guessed, takes place in a Dungeon. There you attempt to locate the ball hidden in (treasure) chests and make it to your opponent’s end zone. There are also a few others that I haven’t gotten my hands on such as Death Blow, but I hope to find someone with these that will be willing to let me take them off their hands.
The game is much too large to be encompassed in just one post so if anyone has any questions please post them and I’ll do my hardest to answer them.

If you haven’t tried your hand at a game of Blood Bowl and think you’d never get into something such as this, I implore you to give it a try. You’ll be surprised at how soon you’ll be yelling ‘Praise/Curse Nuffle’!

Battlefleet Gothic is the Space battle branch of the 40k Franchise. It is a game of world ending power and unrifled navel strategy set in such surroundings as deep space, asteroid belts or in orbit around a planet, basically wherever you can think of.

All of the major races are represented, so whatever your 40k army your going to have a vast amount of options in the composition of your fleet, and therefore your tactics. There are also many different scenarios/types of battles to fight from the rule book, but that is just to provide a spring board to your imagination!! At the end of the day, none of the major battles of the 40k universe would have taken place without the armies being transported to their war zones. That is not to say that these vast warships are just armoured transports however, there are several classes of warship in the game…

Battleships: The Big Hitters. Most games of around 1500 pts (an average game) will have a Battleship present. These range from massive capacity carriers to real mobile gun batteries able to vaporise enemy ships in one shattering salvo. They are slow and ponderous… but deadly combatants. They are tough to take down, well armoured and shielded and usually act as a command ship for your Fleet Admiral. Good examples are the Imperial Navies Emperor class Battleship, which combines massive long range firepower with a large carrier capacity, and the Chaos Desolator Class Battleship with deadly heavy lance batteries and torpedo salvoes.

Cruisers: These form the main ships of the line and do most of the fighting. They are half the size of Battleships but are faster and more manoeuvrable. They are however able to fire massive broadsides both at long of short range and some even have a modest carrier capacity. Some examples are the Tau’s Protector Class Cruiser with powerful Torpedo salvos and good defensive features, the Imperials Lunar class cruiser, which is a great all rounder with torpedoes, lances and heavy weapon batteries and the Chaos Carnage class cruiser, which with its massive broadside weapons batteries is one of the deadliest ships in the game.

Battle-cruisers: Slightly heavier versions of the Cruisers, they probably on average bring about 20% more firepower with similar defensive properties. The best example is the Mars Class Battle cruiser of the Imperial Navy which combines a moderate carrier capacity with the very powerful Nova cannon, weapon batteries and lances into one deadly package.

Light Cruisers: Cruiser that are ½ to 2/3 the strength of regular cruisers. They are very fast, nimble and have considerable firepower considering their size. Weak defensively as a rule, they are still valuable support assets. The Imperials Dauntless class light cruiser has different load outs, one with torpedoes, and one with lances.

Frigates: The largest of the Escort classes of warships, frigates are a fraction of the size of cruisers but in numbers can pack the same punch. They excel at fire support, outflanking and interception of enemy ordinance. The Tau’s Castellian is one of the best armed with weapons batteries and torpedoes, but all races have at least one variant of this reliable class. The Imperial fleet has 3 varieties, the best of which is probably the Sword class with its powerful weapons batteries.

Destroyers: The smallest and fastest of the ship classes, Destroyers are nimble, fragile but with great speed and firepower can exploit weak spots in the enemy’s lines, delivering a killer blow where the enemy is most vulnerable. The Imperial navies Cobra is perhaps the best known, delivering torpedo salvos into weak spots and retreating again out of harms way before the enemy can react.

As I've already said, all the major races are supported.

Imperial Navy: One of the three “Heavy” fleets in the game. Probably has the most variety of the fleets and is the best supported. It is able to bombard the enemy from long range with Artillery like Nova cannon fire, then close to point blank race and hammer already weakened opponents into submission. A great fleet to start with a solid reliable style without being spectacularly flamboyant, as you would expect of the Imperials!!

Chaos: The second really “Heavy” fleet, able to go toe to toe with the Imperial fleet and hold its own. Although more fragile and lacking Nova cannons and a lot of torpedo carrying ships, their ships carry heavy firepower in the form of weapons batteries and lances, often at long range. Comparable carrier capacity to the Imperials but slightly cheaper points wise, they can be upgraded with various marks of chaos into moral sapping sirens, or vicious boarding vessels.

Ork: The Third and final “Heavy” fleet, they are slow but absolutely deadly at close range. So deadly in fact their ‘Eavy Gunz cause double the damage of their Imperial/chaos equivalents, albeit at shorter range. They have access to a Space Hulk, which is nearly 4 times the size of an Imperial battleship, and suicidal Ramships that decimate enemies with impacts using themselves as the weapons!! Good in boarding as well although not as good as Mark of Khorn equipped Chaos ships.

Space Marine: Exceptionally durable ships that are very fast and manoeuvrable based around a Battlebarge and Strike Cruiser core with escorts as well. Can fight alongside Imperial Ships under normal circumstances. And what’s more, they look fantastic!!
Excell at planetary invasion missions but can hold their own against most other fleets without massive amounts of lances. Thunderhawk gunships are the best Ordinance weapon in the game.

Eldar/Craftworld Eldar: Two very similar fleets that use the suns rays like a sail ship uses the wind. Fragile but very quick and hard hitting, they make and excellent raiding fleet. They have literally double the speed and manoeuvrability of Imperial/Chaos ships they are able to run rings around them. Not excellent range, but able to move in and our of enemies range at will and with a 2+ save against more weapons they are deadly.

Tau: Come in 2 main forms, the older boxier models and the newer and beautifully crafted Forgeworld models despite virtually identical stats. Similar in speed and manoeuvrability to the Imperial fleet, their main weapons are Torpedo’s. They are lighter cruisers than the Imperials with only ¾ of the hit points. They don’t have Battleships either instead relying on Large Capacity Carriers and torpedo based stand off tactics. They can not go toe to toe with Imperials or Chaos as they lack the hit points or weaponry to survive but a canny Commander will learn to outflank, harass and wear down enemies with disciplined salvoes. A great looking fleet, but hard to master.

Necron: Highly advanced ships capable of taking huge amounts of firepower without taking a scratch, and to hit back with fearsome weapons different to any other fleet. They are very hard to kill but points wise very expensive so only small fleets are generally seen. Don’t let this fool you however, they are widely regarded as the strongest fleet in the game

Tyranid: A totally customisable fleet able to basically design your own ships. Many special rules make them an interesting and challenging fleet to play with, they excel at boarding and close range fire fights, with a bit of trial and error you should be able to create a Hive fleet that can hold its own with the best of them. Endless customisable/free build options, many people build their ships out of Carnifex box sets etc so no 2 ships are ever the same.

Dark Eldar: A small raiding fleet with only 2 models, is however very effective at what it does. Fast and well armed is doesn’t have the “Sunward edge facing” problems that the Eldar fleet has. Has the ability to replace its engines with “Mimic engines, which enable you to sneak up on unsuspecting enemy ships disguised as one of their own.

Types of weapons

Weapons Batteries: The standard weapon of the universe, all races have this in one form of another. Basically massive versions of ships cannons the game system allows them to fire with better effect at closer range out to their maximum range. The aspect of the enemy ships to you effects the power of the salvo as a representation of how difficult it is to hit. E.g. a ship moving straight towards you is easier to hit that a ship moving from left to right in front of you. This is worked out on a gunnery table with modifications to the strength of the salvo by things like firing through blast markers, extreme range etc. Sounds a lot more complicated than it is, after a couple of goes it really is very easy.

Lances: High powered instant hit weapons that always hit on a 4+ irrespective of armour/orientation. Range from 30cm no smaller ships out to 60cm on the larger ones.

Torpedo: These are ordinance weapons that have to be re-loaded (by passing a leadership test) each time they are fired. That said the bypass shields and do damage to ships hulls directly.

Fighters: Designed for intercepting enemy ordinance like Bombers and Torpedoes. Single use models that return to their mother ship once they complete their mission and again, have to be reloaded.

Bombers: Massive bomber waves can cripple even the largest of enemy ships. Easy to intercept as they are slow but once they hit their mark they are deadly. Again, once they hit they have to be reloaded.

How the game works.

Find the rules and other useful resources here: http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?community=&catId=cat1290025&categoryId=1100014&aId=4300022

Ships are chosen from the fleet lists along with the purchase of characters that act as commanders, increasing leadership values and granting re-rolls. A typical game is around 1500 pts but they can go as high as you want, there is no force organisation chart but there is usually a 3:1 ratio of Cruisers to Battleships and a no more than 1:1 ratio of Battle cruisers to Cruisers. A Typical fleet would be 1 Battleship, 2 Cruisers, 1 Battle cruiser 1 light Cruiser and 2-3 squadrons of escorts. That is a really decent fleet and would see you through all but the largest of games.
A ship has hit points and shields to protect it. Once its shields are stripped away from incoming fire the hull is open to attack and hits are counted. 1 hit reduces hit points until they reach 0 then the ship is destroyed. Each time a hit is taken a roll is made on the critical hits table. On a roll of 6 then the hit is classed as Critical and extra damage is awarded be it to weapons, speed etc or even leadership if the bridge of the ship is hit.

Once the ships points reach 0 then a roll is made on the Catastrophic damage table and will either simply burn in space for all time, of explode in a massive fire ball taking other ships with it!! This is where some of the serious fun can be as many a time chain reactions can take 3-4 other ships in one turn!!

Ships have their own movement values measured in cm. they can turn up to their maximum ammount, usually 45 or 90 degrees. Usually the smaller the ship the faster and more manouverable it is. to hit a shit dice are rolled equal to the number of incoming fire. Eg 1 lance = 1 dice. In the case of battery fire it is more a representation of the strength of the salvo, therefore a ship with wb 16 might only roll 6-8 dice after the modifiers of the gunneres table have been factored in. Rolls need to be made equal or above the armous of a ship, so only rolls of 6's damage ships with 6 armour, 5 and 6's for 5+ armour etc. Saves are only made if the Special Order- Brace For Impact has been called.

All this information is on the reference cards that come with the game. In addition to this Special Order dice can also be used to issue special orders to your ships/squadrons that could, if passed, re-load their Ordinance, increase their likelihood to hit, speed or simply get them to BRACE FOR IMPACT!!!, reducing the damage they take. Obviously the intricacies of these choices could be another post in itself so I shall refrain from going into to much detail here, suffice to say a well timed order can turn a game!!

This is a game with fantastic models and a wonderful rules system that is both exciting and fascinating, as rival Admiral’s plan out their next moves, tactics, orders and split second decisions that affect the lives of all their crews. It is the most tactically demanding war game Ive played, and with a little time to learn the rules you can start having sizable battles in no time.

All this is true, and im going to save the best bit until last… the cost!!

The 1500pts fleet I mentioned earlier will cost you less than £75. Seriously. No really, it will. £12 for two cruisers, £18 for a battleship, £9 per escort Squadron leaving you some change for a take away or a pack of Skittles. Compare that to 40k and im sure you’ll agree, there is no comparison for 1500 pts!!

Overview
Necromunda: Underhive is an immersive tabletop skirmish game that pits two or more rival gangs against each other in the fight for scarce resources and fleeting glory in the decaying bowels of an Imperial Hive City. Necromunda is a Skirmish game but more importantly a campaign. The more games you play the more each fighter advances, gaining new equipment and skills.

Differences to Warhammer 40,000
The main difference between the two games is the scale, while 40k is fought between two large armies; Necromunda: Underhive is fought on a much smaller scale usually with no more than ten models per gang. Necromunda: Underhive is based on Warhammer 40,000 2nd Edition system and uses rules such as fear and terror that are no longer present in 40k, however with the exception of the close combat phase the games main rules run more or less parallel and can be picked up relatively easily. Models do not use coherency and can roam where they please, running, hiding or lying in overwatch, waiting to ambush their rivals with a hail of gunfire.

What Makes the Game Fun
Necromunda: Underhive uses a campaign system that allows each individual model to grow into a unique fighter, gaining skills and characteristic increases, growing from an untrained ‘Juve’ into a hardened veteran ganger who can perform combat feats that would make a Space Marine jealous. Also Necromunda: Underhive offers a huge scope for conversions, the small scale and individuality of the game allows a player to turn his Bits Box into a characterfull mob of hard bitten desperados ready to carve a name for themselves in the gloom of the Underhive. The campaign system also attracts other players and as it is relatively cheaper than 40k you may find even die hard Marine commanders turning to a life of crime.

Required Items and Costs
Initially all a player needs are a copy of the rules which can be found here: http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/co...11&aId=5300010 and a gang of about ten models which can either be bought from Games Worksop Direct or converted from any of the extensive plastic box sets (Catachan and Empire Militia are very good for conversions) and a 4’ by 4’ playing surface filled with Urban Terrain (the more the merrier).

Playable Gangs
The Underhive is populated by gangs from Hive City, six merchant families that vie for the industrial contracts offered to them by the Noble Houses who live atop the clouds in the Hives Spire. Beneath the Underhive is the Sump where Outlaws and mutants scrape out a living in this deadly environment.
The six House Gangs are:

House Orlock: A solid all round gang who are ideal for a starting player and just as deadly in the hands of a veteran. Orlocks dress in leathers and favour chains and grenades over more ostentatious weaponry.
House Goliath: Goliaths are strong and unforgiving, believing that ‘Might is Right’ and are physically huge individuals that dress in revealing and intimidating clothes to further emphasise their strength. Goliaths favour clubs and short ranged weapons, preferring to get in close where their strength and muscle skills give them the edge.
House Escher: House Escher gangs are unique as they are comprised entirely of females who are just as deadly as their male rivals. Escher gangs are graceful, agile fighters who prefer to fight in close combat where their love of swords gives them an advantage few other gangs can achieve.
House Delaque: Delaques are secretive and rarely trusted by their peers, they are spies and assassins and prefer to fight at range with Lasguns, lying in wait for their unsuspecting prey. Delaques wear long coats to hide the plethora of special equipment they carry with them.
House Van Saar: Van Saar are the most technologically adept of the houses and their factories produce the most reliable of equipment for sale off world. Van Saar’s are the most ‘shooty’ of the gangs and have access to skills that allow them to maintain their weapons for much longer than their rivals.
House Cawdor: Cawdor is the public face of the Cult of Redemption, a dangerous and far reaching religious cult that are fanatical devotees to the Imperial Creed. Cawdor are forbidden to show their faces to the unfaithful and always wear face masks when fighting other gangs. Cawdor prefer a mid ranged fight using shotguns and Bolters to blast the impure into oblivion.

Outlanders are pariahs, outlaws, eccentrics, fanatics and everything in between; they all have a price on their heads and make a living preying on the weak and isolated.
Ratskin Renegades: Ratskins seem to have been living in the sump since before records began; considered primitive by the ignorant Ratskins make up for their lack of technology with an in built resistance to the very worst the Hive can offer. They know every inch of the Underhive and lie in wait for the unwary, using the treacherous conditions of the Underhive to trigger their ambushes.
Scavvies: Scavvies are the poorest wretches the Underhive has to offer, the sick, the unfortunate and the mutated. They are a disorganised rabble held together only by the charisma of their ‘King’ and rely on overwhelming their enemies with vast numbers rather than with any coherent battle plan. The Scavvies do have one weapon however; they are often accompanied into battle by terrifying mutants known as Scalies, who act as fire support toting massive home made weapons that can decimate a gang with ease.
The Redemption: The Redemption is a fanatical cult devoted to the cause of scouring all impurity from the Underhive. They dress in crimson robes and hide their faces behind masks, meeting in secret to burn the impure and indulge in self flagellation. In battle the Redemptionists prefer to at mid to close range making use of a unique weapon; the Exterminator, a one shot flamethrower that sends the impure to their well deserved place in hell.
Spyrers: Spyrers are the product of centuries of bored nobility with nothing better to do than stalk Underhivers for sport. Spyrers wear highly advanced combat suits that make a single Spyrer the match for any Hardened Ganger. Cruel, ruthless and highly trained Spyrers are more than just a chilling story to tell children at Lights Out.

Aeronautica Imperialis is a alternating-turn based game that represents Air Combat in the 41st Millenium. Unlike other games of its kind it focusses on the chess-like element of Air Combat Manoeuvring as the core of the game mechanic rather than focussing on the weapon delivery element so reminiscent of many other wargames. The game also represents every element of an air war including ground attack and air defenses so there's something for all interests, ground pounders and fighter boys alike.

The rules occupy the first 19 pages of the colour, hardcover rulebook including a selection of advanced rules that, each in their own way, add immeasurably to an already fascinating game. In my experience the very best games are the ones with simple rules that somehow create a game of infinite possibilities and Aeronautica Imperialis fits this category well.

I am myself a pilot with aerobatic experience and, based on years of enthusiastic study, a fair degree of expertise in Air Combat so please believe me when I say that this game has all the hallmarks of a good simulation that seems to have cut to the core of the 'sport of kings' to produce a game that rewards real life tactics and thinking while also being a very addictive game that always leaves you feeling, oh go on one more game! A rare combination in an age where wargames seem to be getting more and more abstract.

The game itself revolves around the use of manoeuvre cards graded according to the manoeuvrability rating of the aircraft. You select a manoeuvre secretly for each aircraft in your squadron and write it down on your record sheet as does your opponent and so follows a chase around the sky with you trying to outmanoeuvre and outthink your opponent and get on his six for the kill. Mr. Kinrade has, in my opinion, represented the 3D element of air combat very well with bases that have adjustable altitude and speed dials. It will take some getting used to but trust me, when you're looking at the table and you get a clear 3D picture for the first time, it's quite a moment.

The other rare quality of this game is that it costs about a quarter of the expense of putting a 40K army together including both the core rulebook and the supplement entitled 'Tactica Aeronautica'.

In summary, it's a great game that rewards good thinking and tactics while also leaving you in no doubt that this is the 40K universe you're playing in. The models produced by Forgeworld are really nice and you don't have to spend a fortune to have one great game after the other.

- SPACE HULK HISTORY -
Space Hulk was first released in 1989 by Games Workshop. It was an all inclusive boxed game including a rule book, board pieces (or tile sections) miniatures, dice, counters/markers and a mission book. The game was well received by the general public for it's fast pace, simple rules and good narrative.

Games Workshop released further missions, tile pieces, rules and characters in White Dwarf magazine. An expansion pack called, Deathwing included rules for different Space Marine weapons, characters and other features. A second expansion called Genestealer included new rules for different Genestealer types and psychic abilities.

A second edition was released with what were considered better models and tile pieces but with more simplistic rules compared to the original edition. The general consensus is that this version was inferior to the original.

No further expansions after the second edition were released with the exception of a few articles in White Dwarf magazine.

In 2009 the third edition was released by Games Workshop as a "Limited Edition" version of the game for it's 20th anniversary. Newly designed models, tiles, markers/counters, dice, sand timer, rule book and mission book are included in the box. The rules and missions for the game have remained true to the original edition with most of the expansion rules also included. The biggest improvement is with the models and tile pieces. The Space Marine models are fully detailed and no two are the same. The Genestealer models are also superbly done, but unlike the marines, do have repeating models but only due to the fact that you get 20 Genestealer models, including a larger model called a Broodlord.

- IS SPACE HULK A TABLE TOP GAME OR A BOARD GAME? -
Space Hulk is a stand alone game system. It is not a table top game like Warhammer 40,000, but it is also not like any other board game I can think of. Multiple tiles interlock to create a "board" were the action takes place. The board can get quite large so it is best played on a table suitable enough to contain all the board tiles, models and game pieces needed to play. It takes it's roots from Warhammer 40,000 in it's setting, story and models but actual game play and rules are unique.

- WHAT IS A "SPACE HULK" AND WHAT IS THE STORY BEHIND THEM? -
Spaceships, asteroids and other space debris that throughout time, have crashed, attached or otherwise collected together to create one massive "Hulk" that floats throughout space. Think of them as gigantic space dust bunnies! These unguided Hulks are a rare find as they usually are lost in the warp, (a place were time and space do not exist as we know it.) Ships can normally only travel through the warp with the guidance by telepathic navigators who can steer the ship safely through it, and allow the ships to re materialize at a distant location from were it started. The distance traveled by using the warp would take a ship traveling by normal means many months, years or even thousands of years to traverse. But traveling through the warp isn't always safe and ships get lost, caught up in warp storms and get thrown off course never to return. Also, disease and alien infestation may kill the crews, or even mutiny can leave a ship adrift in the warp for millenia. While these abandoned ships float unguided through the warp they crash into each other and collect like so much space junk, only to become massively huge over time. The ships unlucky enough to be taken over by alien infestation are commonly done so by Genestealers.

Space Hulks can rematerialized from the warp or come from deep space without warning, usually at a point were they will cause serious issues with shipping lanes, space travel and even threaten whole worlds and systems with their sheer size and deadly cargo. When these Hulks do re-emerge from the warp or from deep space, they are considered a problem and are inspected and boarded to ensure that any and all threats are removed before salvage operations and further scientific exploration begins. This is where the game begins.

- WHAT FORCES/ARMIES CAN I PLAY? AND HOW MANY PLAYERS DO YOU NEED? -
In the game of Space Hulk you can play as either the slow moving but massively armored and armed Space Marines or as the fast, deadly, innumerable shadow lurking Genestealers armed with razor sharp claws and teeth.

The game is designed for 2 players, but can be accommodated for more if you like.

- GAME PLAY -
Space Hulk is a turn based game that follows 12 preset missions from the missions book. The player controlling the Space Marines is directed to use specific models for each mission along with an objective(s) to complete to gain a victory. The Genestealer player usually has an unlimited amount of Genestealers (unlike the Space Marine player who is not allowed any reinforcements) to try and stop the Space Marines.

The game board is setup with the interlocking tiles supplied in the box as instructed in the mission book. The tiles represent large rooms and corridors. Corridor's only allow for single file movement, like down a narrow hallway were as rooms open up for more movement. Turns, intersections, dead ends and other tiles make up the complete board. Marines are generally set up in a single file corridor marked in the mission book. The Genestealers enter play by assigned entry area's usually located all over the board. The game represents tight, close quarter assault boarding actions by the Marines against an innumerable foe.

Each game turn is represented by a Space marine players action turn and a Genestealer player action turn. Play begins with the Space Marines and when time runs out or all available actions are done the Genestealer players turn begins. the game does not have a preset amount of game turns, as it is based off of mission objectives instead.

The game uses "action points" used for moving, shooting, attacking or interacting with the environment. Space Marines have 4 action points per turn and Genestealers have 6. Action points can only be used during the active players turn. Therefore a Genestealer player cannot make any actions during the Space Marine players turn and vice versa.

Marines may move and shoot for a specific amounts of action points. As these heavily armored Marines are slow to move, due to the amount of action points and how many points it costs to actually move in certain directions. To make up for the lack of mobility they have some serious firepower to even the odds.

On the other hand, Genestealers are fast and agile but lack any ranged weapons so must rely solely on their claws and teeth to attack.

A "Blip" is a marker used to represent the Genestealers as they enter the board and range in value from 1 to 3 Genestealers each. When a blip is revealed on the board to the Space Marine player the appropriate number of Genestealer models replace the blip. These blips may "Lurk" in the entry area's that the Genestealers come into play at thus effectively hiding just out of range of the Space Marines. Being able to lurk just off the board and coming onto the board as a blip keeps the Space Marine player in the dark as to how many actual Genestealers are coming for them.

Doors, devices, ladders and other objects are included in the game and play a vital role in the plot laid out in the mission book.

The Space Marine player is also given "Command Points" to use during the game to perform extra moves or actions during either players turn. These command points are a randomly drawn number ranging from 1 to 6. Each turn the Space Marine player draws a fresh command point tile from a cup or mug and is free to use them as he/she sees fit. If the player goes over the command points drawn, he/she automatically looses the game. Command points are the only exception to taking an action during the opponents turn. Command points can be spent at any point in any players turn.

Marines can place themselves on "Overwatch" and "On guard" at the cost of 2 action points. Going on overwatch allows the Marine player to shoot at any moving object that crosses his line of sight during the Genestealer players turn. During overwatch the Marines weapon can be fire so rapidly it may jam!

When a Space Marine is placed on guard he is anticipating being attacked and braces himself for the hand to hand combat. This ability helps ensure that a Marine may have a second chance at fighting off an attacking Genestealer in hand to hand combat.

Overwatch and on guard are automatically lost at the beginning of the next Marine player turn and must be paid for again with action or command points on a per turn basis.

The Marines are led into battle by a Sergeant or two depending on the mission being played. The Sergeant is a skilled fighter and tactician that can offer more than a regular Marine. Armed with a power sword or thunder hammer he is skilled in close combat. He is also granted a bonus for being such a talented warrior. Another ability is when pulling command points. As long as a Sergeant in on the board you can choose to repick your command point tile for hopefully a better number. Such is the Sergeants power to command the battle!

The rest of the Marines are fitted with Terminator armour and a variety of weapons for various roles. All of them are deadly with ranged firepower, able to drop a foe long before it has a chance to close on him.

A special character called a Librarian is included and is capable of psychic abilities. During missions where the librarian is used he is given 20 psi points to use between three different abilities or to channel into his hand to hand combat weapon.

For the Genestealers they receive a special character also, the Broodlord. This model is larger and more powerful then the usual Genestealer. He is immune to the effect of the flame thrower unit and is also resistant to some psychic attacks. He is also very powerful when in hand to hand combat often dealing out damage that even the most powerful Space Marine model cannot match. He is incredibly tough and can shrug off wounds that would tear apart a normal Genestealer. Due to his extreme nature, his use is limited in the game.

The Space Marine player is also timed during his turn phase using the supplied sand timer. If the timer runs out before the Marine player has completed his actions, he/she must stop and the Genestealer players turn now begins. This adds to the fast paced theme of the game and can make for some very tense moments. Players often find that the timer is more of a hindrance then a benefit to overall game mechanics. It is not uncommon for players to agree to not use the timer as it often goes forgotten after just a few rounds of play anyway.

- WHAT WEAPONS DO THE MARINES AND GENESTEALERS HAVE? -

RANGED WEAPONS:
STORM BOLTER: The most common weapon is the Storm Bolter. The storm bolter may be placed on Overwatch but can also jam. It is the basic weapon for ranged attack. It has unlimited ammunition.

HEAVY FLAMER: The Heavy Flamer is a large flame thrower that can not only target individual Genestealers but also sections of the game board. It is one of the most powerful weapons for removing Genestealers as the number needed on the dice roll is very low. The flames block all line of sight and anyone foolish enough to travel into the raging inferno may get a little crispy! The main drawbacks are it's limited range, ability to harm other Marines and it's limited ammunition.

ASSAULT CANNON: The Assault Cannon is a huge multi barreled rapid firing weapon. It unloads a mass of rounds into it's victims and is very deadly. It can overheat and explode causing the user to be vaporized and anyone nearby to be slain too! It's ammunition is limited also but can be reloaded once during a game. Like the storm bolters, the auto cannon can be placed on overwatch.

The Genestealers have no ranged weapons at all!

CLOSE COMBAT WEAPONS:
POWER FIST: The Power fist is a large glove that has a forcefield generator built into it. When used in close combat it can rip a heavily armored foe to bits. It is the standard close combat weapon for the Marines.

CHAIN FIST: The Chain Fist is just like a power fist but with a chainsaw attachment for cutting through bulkheads and doors. Due to it's extra weight it is treated as a power fist for close combat. It is able to cut through doors automatically unlike any other weapon.

POWER SWORD: The Power Sword is carried by the Sergeant of the squad and is a very deadly instrument. It allows the sergeant to parry an attack from a Genestealer.

LIGHTNING CLAWS The lightning claws are used in pairs and closely resemble power fists with the exception of four long metal claws extending from the knuckles. These are strictly for use in close combat as the wearer fore goes any ranged attacks in favor of better close combat abilities.

THUNDER HAMMER/STORM SHIELD: The Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield is used in conjunction with each other for a powerful attack along with a greater defense. Just like the lightning claws, the user fore goes any ranged attacks in favor of an increased close combat prowess.

FORCE AXE: The Force Axe is used by the Librarian in close combat with great effectiveness. The Librarian may use any of his Psi points to increase to power of the attack when using the force Axe. This cal all but make him invincible... until his psi points run out!

The Genestealers use their long, sharp claws to attack in close combat. This is the only form of attack they have, but they are exceptionally good at it! Don't be fooled, these guys are deadly so keep your distance!

-WHAT MAKES SPACE HULK FUN? -
The fast pace, simple and easy to remember rules, amazingly detailed models and tiles and re-playability all make Space Hulk a high quality game. With the locking tiles you may design an almost unlimited amount of your own missions and boards. It is also a great game due to the fact that a standard missions in the book usually lasts for around 30 minutes after which players will generally switch sides and replay the same mission.

Even though the rules are very simple, the challenge of the game is in how you plan you attack and try to out wit and out play your opponent. Luck also has a good hand in how the game plays too!

- IS IT AS SPACE AND TIME CONSUMING AS MY WARHAMMER 40,000 ARMIES? -

The game doesn't take up a large amount of space or even an entire room unlike a full Warhammer 40,000 army and game table can. Everything fits right back into the box it came in and goes nicely into a cupboard or shelf!

It is not as time consuming as Warhammer 40,000 due to the fact the game is 100% complete right out of the box! No other books, models or accessories are needed to play, it is complete. You can paint the models to match those on the box and in the books, or to match your other models. Or leave them bare, it's totally up to you! Although a nice set of fully painted models just make the game totally "Pop" off the table and add's a nice cosmetic touch.

- DO I NEED TO KNOW ALL ABOUT THE WARHAMMER 40,000 UNIVERSE TO PLAY? -

Not at all! Another nice factor is the ability to bring new players that are unaware of the Warhammer gaming systems into the fold without spending massive amounts of money, time or effort on their part. They can be introduced with a simple yet entertaining game system that may open the door to the hobby of tabletop gaming. Younger children are also capable of participating without the fear of being bogged down with too many rules and options. From my personal experience, my 10 year old son has taken to this game far quicker then he has to Warhammer 40,000 due to the simplistic nature of the game.

- HOW MUCH IS IT AND WERE DO I GET IT? -
The latest release was a limited edition set to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the original game. The cost was $100.00 U.S. dollars.

After it's initial release, Games Workshop quickly sold out of the units set for retail. Soon after, they "found" more copies which they also released for general sales thereby eliminating any more sets through direct sales. To the best of anyone's knowledge, Games Workshop has no plans to reprint the game any time soon.

Although it is not currently listed on their website or for order in a Games Workshop's outlet, it can be found on online auction sites such as Ebay. It can also be found on internet forums in the trading/for sale sections from time to time. Occasionally you may run across a copy in an independent retailer/store, but as it has been released for some time now, it is getting harder and harder to find new, unopened copies or at the MSRP as some people have purchased multiple copies just to resell them at a highly inflated price. As always when dealing with third parties, buyer beware! I highly recommend picking one up if you come across it as it is really worth having!

Gorkamorka
Thanks to GrimzagGorwazza for this one!

Overview
Gorkamorka is an intuitive skirmish battle game fought between two or more warbands in a bid to scrape the meagre resources from the planet before your opponents does. It is set on the desert world of Gorkamorka where ork bands vie for resources and try secure their passage off of this Mork forsaken hellhole. Like Necromunda before it, Gorkamorka is a campaign based game where warbands will develop and change depending on how they perform in battle. Leaderships and loyalties will shift, weapons will be replaced and rivalries will form between warbands as each tries to become the top dog.

Background
The world of Angelis was a deadworld long before an ork space hulk crashed into the planet surface. Forced to rebuild their spacecraft from the wreckage so that they might rejoin the great waagh, it wasn't long before infighting broke out amongst the greenskins and ushered in a new era for the planet. The infighting became a religious war amongst the orks with some believing that the space craft which they were building was an embodiment of the ork god Gork and others believing it was Mork. In the end the war culminated in the destruction of the ship and an uneasy truce between the two factions.

Gorkamorka (or Morkagorka depending on your point of view.) is the name that the orks have given to both the space ship which they are constructing and the planet upon which they have landed.

Now led by a collection of big meks, the ork bands ride out into the desert to gather resources from the wreckage that was once joined to the space hulk when it initially crashed. This scrap is richly prized by the big meks who reward mobs which consistently bring back good loot with a guaranteed passage on board Gorkamorka when the waagh is once again launched into the stars.

Unfortunately the truce doesn't hold true once the warbands are out of sight of Mektown (the only population centre on the planet) and warbands battle each other for the choices pieces of scrap to ensure that they and not their rivals get to make up the new crew of Gorkamorka.

Differences to Warhammer 40,000
The main difference between Gorkamorka and 40k is that while 40k is fought between two large armies; Gorkamorka is fought on a much smaller scale usually with no more than twenty models per warband. Based on Warhammer 40,000 2nd Edition system the rules are slightly more in depth then the current core rules. Models will have to take into account psychological effects such as hatred and fear whilst at the same time stickbombs are actually capable of being thrown and causing damage to a warrior. However with the exception of the close combat phase the games main rules run more or less parallel and can be picked up relatively easily. Models do not use coherency and can roam where they please, running, hiding or lying in overwatch, waiting to ambush their rivals with a hail of gunfire.

Differences to Necromunda
Whilst both Necromunda and Gorkamorka share a core set of rules and indeed play very similarly there are a few core differences that alter the play style of the two games.
Necromunda is set in an urban labyrinth, with crates, oildrums, stairs, girders and rubble inhibiting line of sight and making for a claustrophobic, close quarter gunfight reminiscent of so many classic western films.
Gorkamorka is a vast sweeping desert with sand dunes, and half buried wreckage. It very rarely is played with multiple floors and includes rules for fielding vehicles as well as rules for crashes, rams and engine explosions. If Necromunda is a western, Gorkamorka is grand theft auto.


What Makes the Game Fun
Whilst the core rules for Gorkamorka revolve around the orks, this actually works in its favour by injecting a good level of comedy into the game. Mob members who take wounds in a game can risk the attention of the local Doc, though many are the tales of boys who were shot in the foot and returned to their warband with a brand new steel skull. Damaged vehicles might develop an annoying squeak that reduces the leadership of those riding her. Valuable members might get captured or ousted from their position in the mob by a more charismatic leader. All of this leads to extremely cinematic games with each member of your warband developing their own character and making you want to see how they do in the next fight.

Required Items and Costs
Gorkamorka is no longer available from games workshop, even in PDF form (correct me if I am wrong here people). It is however reasonably easy to pick up cheaply second hand. Also the development of new plastic ork kits and vehicles means that your warbands will now look better than ever and models will be easier to convert to represent the various weapons and bionics which they might accumulate.

Playable Warbands
There are five core playable warbands within Gorkamorka.

Gorkas: Gorkas are orks which revere Gorkamorka as an aspect of the ork god Gork. As such they fight using Brutal cunning and will tend to specialise in skills focussed on weapons and combat.

Morkas: Morkas believe that Gorkamorka represents the ork god Mork and fight using Cunning brutality. This leads to a larger number of sneaky and specialised skills, particularly in the field of driving vehicles.

The Digganob Warbands
Digganob is an expansion for the core Gorkamorka game which added more background, weapons and scenarios to the mix. It also included three new types of warband with which to take to the wastelands.

Rebel Grots: Grots will never be allowed to leave Angelis, they are the only greenskins on the planet that are unable to earn their passage aboard the vessel when it finally departs. Fed up with their lot, some grots led a revolution and to this day rebel grots flock to the banner or the Gretchin Revolutionary committee in an attempt to earn equal rights for gretchin. Rebel grot armies don't possess the ability to build or maintain ork vehicles, so instead they have developed a range of simple, crank or wind powered creations with which to take their fight to the orks.

Diggas: The diggas are the feral descendants of human surveyors who were excavating underground tunnels when the space hulk hit the planet. As such they remained more or less unharmed and whilst they slowly lost their culture over the eons since the crash they are still physically very human. Diggas have since started trading with the orks and are constantly trying to prove that they are just as tough as their greenskin neighbours. Diggas are weaker than orks physically but make up for this with sheer numbers.

Muties: When the Space hulk crashed some of the humans surveyors were able to survive by taking cover within their own vessel. Over time, however, radiation twisted the inhabitants and left them as mutated parodies of their former selves. The most technologically advanced group on the planet the muties are few in number but make up for this weakness with resilience and advanced weaponry. Riding into battle on their riding beasts, muties tend to cause horrific casualties in games which they are present.