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From the Nexus Publishing House:

Warp Rit is not endorsed, nor does it endorse, Games Workshop, and it is not an ocial publication o Games Workshop. Any words, phrases or images are uspermission and no challenge is intended as a result o such a usage, including the use o these words, phrases and images without the appropriate symbols o copyrtionally, these pages including content, design and images are copyright (except where copyright should inringe other such rights). Licensed names, images andcopyright their respective companies or authors. No part o these pages may be borrowed or reproduced, and no articles or rules should be considered ocial in

Warp Rift Issue 30, December

COVER CREDITS:

From "The Lord Inquisitor" movie: Inquisitor Battle-

barge & Light Cruisers escort vessels.

3D models by Andrea Carassai.

Texturing, lighting, space scene composition &

rendering by Erasmus Brosdau.

THE WARP RIFT TEAM:Aaron Dickey Vaaish

Roy (Horizon) Amkreutz Void Stalker II

Iain (Cybershadow) Watcher in the Dark

Ray Bell Admiralty

Reg Steiner Tyranid War Veteran

Jack Watling Magician

ADDITIONAL CREDITS:

Model Photos Gothicomp Participants

Additional Artwork Xeones

Contributing Authors David Hscocks, Hellbore,

Dan Lee., Mangozac,

Hugo, A.R. Aston

Warp Rift Table of ContentsEditorial

Navis Nobilite

HigH admiralty

lExicanum: bfgrulEsandtactics

tactical commaNd: UsiNg tHe veNgeaNce class graNd crUisersHips database: eldar pHoeNix battlesHip

eNcyclopedia gotHica: imperial aNd cHaos vessel timeliNe

thE forgE: bfgmodElingandpainting

dry dock: bUildiNg tHe ZeUs ligHt crUiser

sHowcase: gotHicomp 2010 Fleet category wiNNer: wesselsteiN

sEnsor rEadings: bfgfanfictionandscEnarios

void stalker: battles iN tHe warp

oFFicers mess: a good deed, part 1

SUBMISSIONS:

All types o articles are desper-

ately needed to keep this publi-

cation alive. In some cases,

submission includes placement

on the web at: www.tacticalwar-

games.net. Please include a

note with your submission iyou would like this claried.

Submission via e-mail implies

approval or publication.

SEND YOUR SUBMISSIONS TO:

[email protected]

[email protected]

Please register your support or

this publication. Download your

copy rom the ocial web site:

www.tacticalwargames.net/

archive/bfgmag/

Discuss and Talk about Warp Rit

at the ollowing location:

Warp Rift Forum

Read the Warp Rit Blog or news

updates and extra material here:

Warp Rift Blog

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Warp Rift Issue 30, December

Warp Rift Issue 30, December

Navis Nobilite

Hello everyone,

As some may know, Roy, who you know

better as Horizon, is stepping down as

the editor o Warp Rit and hes let me

to take over in his stead. I want to thank

him or the opportunity to shape the

magazine and I hope that I can do halas good a job as he has done since, well,

orever it seems.

As part o taking over, Ill also be over-

seeing a redesign o the magazine

geared toward opening up more space

on the pages and standardizing the

sections common to each issue. As

always, we desperately need your help

in providing articles, art, and photos to

showcase.

To give everyone a better overview o

where we are headed, Ill be running

through some o the major changes

that are happening alongside the more

cosmetic adjustments. To start with,

there will be our regular divisions to

the magazine. The rst o these is the

Editorial section which will contain

things like the article you are currently

reading. This section will also include a

small article rom the High Admiralty to

help keep the an base up to date with

what is going on in the BFG world.

The second section is the Lexica-num which contains the old Tactical

Command and Encyclopedia Gothica

sections. Tactical Command will remain

dedicated to tacticas on the various eets o BFG and to

any battle reports. Encyclopedia Gothica will remain the

same as a repository or new rules and eet lists, but new

ship designs will be broken out into a new category named,

somewhat unsurprisingly, Ships Database.

For painting, modeling, and other hobby related articles we

have created a category named The Forge. This will be hometo the Dry Dock and Showcase sections. Both o these sec-

tions will remain as they have been in the past and we look

orward to seeing any submissions you may have.

Fan Fiction has been grouped under a single category

named Sensor Readings and contains the older sections

Void Stalker, and Ocers Mess. These two have a slight dis-

tinction rom each other with Void Stalker containing story

driven scenarios and campaigns and Ocers Mess used an

ction without scenarios.

While I would love to have articles and content or each

section in every issue, I know that some issues just wont

have articles submitted in every area. Because o this, some

o the subsections may not appear in every issue o the mag-

azine. I you see one lacking, eel ree to submit an article or

it. This magazine is driven by your submissions ater all!

Finally, I would be remiss to not tell you a bit about mysel

beore signing of. Some o you may know me as Vaaish on

various orums related to 40k and Specialist Games. Ive

been active in 40k or quite a ew years ater being intro-

duced to the universe through the original Dawn o War

games. From there I quickly moved over to BFG and nally

Epic as Ive ound those games to be much more enjoyable

to play. I typically spend a good bit o my hobby time paint-

ing, so expect to see stuf show up rom time to time in thepicture box to the right.

Thanks or reading,Aaron (Vaaish)

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Warp Rift Issue 30, December

High Admiralty

Heylo,

Im Ray, the youngun o the High Admiralty

clocking in at a little under 3 decades! Ive

been playing BFG since its release, in act

it was my rst tabletop game and is still

my avourite ater playing and owning all

o the Games Workshop games, includingthose no longer in production like Gorka-

Morka and Warhammer Quest. Ive also

dabbled in numerous other spaceship/

naval games my second avourite being

B5 A Call To Arms(out o production) as

it easily allows numerous players to the

table without much pause. There are nu-

merous other tabletop games Ive played

and occasionally use or inspiration or as

examples o what not to do! Sae to say

Ive got a rich gaming background which

Inuences most o my geeky lie!

I have a crazy huge collection o BFG

ships including all eets, easily exceed-

ing a total points value o 100,000pts! I

I including home brew ships it would get

even more extreme. This allows me to run

campaigns lending out eets to people

that dont own their own or just ancy a

change. Although it has been over a year

since Ive run a campaign, I still squeeze in

the odd BFG game in between the myriad

o others cluttering my gaming table.

Being a HA member is very important

to me, I dedicate a lot o my ree time to

reviewing the rules and taking the pulse

o the online community. Some may have

noticed this is almost seasonal, this

the real part o my lie which ebbs

beyond much o my control.

With the current big FAQ getting na

and hopeully being made availabl

website or at the very least deeme

can see room or eet specic renethe next ew years in anticipation o

2 rerelease! However unlikely this is d

cutbacks by GW I choose to believe

uture!

Cheers,

Ray

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TACTICAL COMMAND

USING THE VENGEANCE CLASS GRAND CRUISER by DaviD Hscocks

In this article I will be arguing that the Vengeance class grand

cruiser (see the Imperial Fleets PDF) is a worthy choice or many Im-

perial eets. I am not discussing its role in the context o a Traitor

eet. I should point out that o the purposes o this study I willbe comparing its perormance to the Overlord class Battle-cruiser.

I chose this ships to compare it to based on roughly equivalent

points cost and their role in the eet.

The reason why I rst bought this model was basically just because

I liked the look o it. In my opinion it is one o the coolest looking

Imperial vessels. The sculpting is truly superb, and its size is equiva-

lent to an Imperial battleship. What more does one need?

As a gaming piece though, why should one take the Vengeance? I

do not believe, like some do, that it is a Jack of all trades and ergo,

master o none. It ulls an important niche role, in a way that no

other Imperial cruiser can, at least so eciently or relative points

cost. At this point I ought to make it clear that a ew things, in thespirit o honesty. It will not be able to outgun a regular gunship,

such as the Repulsive Grand cruiser, at close range at least. Nor will

it be able to tear apart its nearest rival, the Overlord class, which

has torpedoes and 6+ prow armour, with only slightly less repow-

er to the anks, or 5 points more. Nor, in truth, is it signicantl y

more powerul than the average Chaos Cruiser. So, having said

this, what can the Vengeance class actually do?

Its two greatest strengths are its weapon batteries, and its sheer

durability against incoming re, be it weapon batteries or ord-

nance; with its increased number o hit points it will survive a duel

longer, ad its multiple turrets give it a air chance o surviving an

average strength bomber wave with minimal impact. Combinethese two strengths with its low points cost (especially so when

one considers it against the Overlord!), and the Vengeance sud-

denly looks more promising.

Bearing these strengths in mind we can determine what role it

should take in the average, balanced Imperial eet. It is my belie

that it is viable or use in any size Imperial eet. It should be used

to support the torpedo armed close ranged cruisers (i.e., the Lunar

class) as they close with the enemy. This is done to disrupt the

enemys ormation, and slow them down. I you are lucky you may

cause some damage. Then, once the cruisers are within 30cm and

are ready to re torpedoes, the Vengeance should shit its re onto

anking cruisers, escorts, etc, as the need arises according to the

greatest threat. It can also be used to nish of badly damaged

enemy vessels rom aar. In this re support role it is the ideal

companion to the Emperor battleship. Not only does it have a

good level o repower, but its imposing nature may draw re of

the Emperor.

This idea o being imposing is a personal idea. To the less ex-

perienced player, the scarier the ship looks, the greater its target

priority. Ergo, the Vengeance can be used as bait; it looks scarier

than it actually is. Whilst the enemy res at the Vengeance, the

Emperor can do its job more efectively. And i the enem

the Vengeance, it can still dish out some useul repow

long range re support role it is more specialised and e

the Overlord, whose torpedoes are usually wasted at las its overall design dictates. The lack o 6+ prow armo

Vengeance is not important. So, we can see that in no

battles, the Vengeance serves the same niche as the Ov

slightly better repower where it matters (the weapon

or ewer points and with greater durability.

In a more niche area, the Vengeance is also very useul ve

a stratagem that will surprise some. Not only is it just a

vrable and ast when compared to the standard Imper

but it is tougher. Additional ly, its long range weapons m

it can hit the Eldar even when they ee (hopeully!). But

vantages when considered together makes it an excelle

indeed, it is unique. Not only does it stand a better cha

viving an Eldar rst strike, but is has the range to reac

take its revenge (pun intended) once the Eldar retreat.

in a terrain heavy board this is less useul, but even in thi

its two strengths, durability and repower, make it a bet

than lighter weight cruisers. A cheaper Lunar class or

will not do better as they will be less likely to survive an E

range assault, thereore the act they are cheaper points

relevant. As a gunship, paying a bit more or toughness

Eldar is well worth it. It is also worth bearing in mind tha

used as a rallying point or the Imperial eet in such ac

its size it and long range batteries it can cover the ad

withdrawal o lighter and aster Imperial ships.

So, in conclusion the Vengeance has a niche role in a regula

in anti-Eldar operations it is also very handy. I hope that mo

will eld this antastic and ot underrated vessel in the ut

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SHIPS DATABASE

ELDAR PHOENIX BATTLESHIPS by HELLBoRE

The largest Eldar stellar vessels besides the Cratworlds themselves,

the Phoenixships have a strong symbolic place amongst the eet.

Named or the symbol o the Lord o the Eldar gods, Asuryans

Phoenix represents the hope and rebirth o the Eldar race rom the

ashes o the Fall; their attempt to rekindle what was lost. The Phoe-

nixships are a potent symbol o this, equipped wit h the most power-

ul Eldar weaponry available and can lay waste to entire squadronswith a single barrage. The ship design emphasizes durability and

destructive orce, something not oten seen amongst Eldar ships.

To the Cratworlders however, speed is secondary to absolute orce,

as nothing is more important than the protection o the Cratworld

itsel. Very rarely do the battleeets o a Crat world stray too ar rom

home, as to do so would leave their kin horribly exposed to the dep-

redations o a hostile galaxy. With this in mind the Phoenixship has

an enlarged hull design to ree up space or weapon mounts and

give the ship a staying power greater than even a Dragonship. To

power such a large ship the design incorporates extra sails, giving

the Phoenixship a magnicent yet sinister silhouette.

Phoenixships are also sometimes upgraded with unusual weaponry,ancient devices created beore the Fall when Eldar technology was

at its height. These weapons vary rom massive pulsar cannons

adapted rom their mounts on the Cratworld itsel to the deadly

Distortion Lance, a horric weapon that

tears the very abric o reality apart to

spill the horrors o the warp into reals-

pace. An enemy ship that takes a hit rom

a D-Lance will discover whole sections

missing as a miniature warp-storm is

created within the ship itsel. Unortu-nately, despite the advance technology

o the Eldar the power necessary to re

such weapons slows the ship down con-

siderably, leaving it dead in space or

precious seconds, and so are only used

in the direst o circumstances.

The running engagements and escort

attacks avoured by corsairs are at odds

with the Phoenixship design and so the

corsairs retrot these behemoths to

create the Void Stalkers, and lacking the

resources to keep the more complicatedsystems unctioning, strip down the hull

or greater speed and manoeuvrability.

N: on h h n un n dnh phnh 1000 nh 50 n. sh n h n n n h nn h h un u h n n h un u.

T dn ln h N cnnn u h n h nu n n neh h u d3 h n h un h n d6 n h un h h

T pu cnnn h u pu ln h u, h un nf d3 h

PHOENIXSHIP 400

Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armour T

Battleship/10 10/15/20 Special Holoelds 5+

Choose ONE Dorsal Weapon System:

Armament Range/Speed Firepower/Str FireDorsal Weapons Battery 45cm 10 Let/Fro

Dorsal Phantom Lances 45cm 3 Let/Fro

Choose ONE Prow Weapon System:

Armament Range/Speed Firepower/Str FireProw Weapons Battery 45cm 16 Fro

Prow Pulsar Lances 45cm 4 Fro

Choose ONE Keel Weapon System:

Armament Range/Speed Firepower/Str FireKeel Torpedoes 30cm 8 Fro

Dorsal Phantom Lances 45cm 3 Let/Fro

Armament Range/Speed Firepower/Str FireDistortion Lance 45cm Special Fro

Pulsar Cannon 60cm 1 Fro

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ENCYCLOPEDIA GOTHICA

IMPERIAL AND CHAOS VESSEL TIMELINE by DaN LEE

Prompted by eedback on Warseer about my article in the last

issue o Warprit (thanks BaronIveagh) Ive compiled a timeline o

known ship construction dates or the Imperial and Chaos eets.

The timeline is based on inormation rom the BFG rulebook andArmada and this inormation is summarized ater the timeline. I

looked through my Horus Heresy novels too but ound they were

generally vague about ships, so I decided to stick to BFG uf. Even

just sticking to these two books though, there are contradictions.

The Apocalypse class battleship is said to be a precursor to the

Retribution, and was developed to counter raids rom the Eye o

Terror (which are themselves post Horus Heresy events), but then

the Retribution is said to date rom the ounding o the Imperium

(which is beore the Horus Heresy). This would put the Apocalypse

in production or only a relatively short period o time, or have itbeing produced ater the ship that was supposed to replace it. This

single contradiction aside though, most o the inormation in these

books makes sense.

Imperial ships are in blue and Chaos ships are in red, and Ive put

the key periods o human history at the top or easy reerence.

Where a colour abruptly starts or ends we have a denite start or

stop date or production o a ship, and where the colour

or in we dont have a denite date.

As you can see rom the timeline, the general trend o

ships being newer and Chaos ships being older is actu

noticeable, but it is there. Only the Murder, Mars, Styx an

ter class vessels have denite end dates to their produc

other vessel could theoretically still be in production som

the Imperium, and many vessel types (the ones not show

timetable), both Imperial and Chaos, could have begun p

at any point rom the Dark Age o Technology onwards.

MILLENNIUM

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M15M25 Dark Age o Technology

M25M30 Age o Strie

M30 Emperor class Legatus Stygies construction began

M30 Artisan Magos Lian Ramilies designs the Ramilies class

star ort rom STC data

M30M31 Great Crusade

~M30 Desolator class battleships developed

M31 Avenger class Forinax, Leonis, Iron Duke, Duchess Arbel-

latris, and Vengeance class Castigator and Vindicare

present at battle or Diamat [Fallen Angels]

M31 Founding o the Imperium

~M31 Apocalypse class battleships developed to counterChaos raids rom the Eye o Terror

M33 Emperor class Legatus Stygies completed (construction

was halted or nearly 2 millennia)

M33 Styx class heavy cruisers begin to gain popularit y

M33 Construct ion o Murder class cruisers begins

M34 Inception o the Repulsive class grand cruisers

M34 Construct ion o the Slaughter class Dutifulbegins. The

Dutiful subsequently bombards the only orgeworld

capable o manuacturing the engine coils needed

Slaughter class cruisers, preventing any more rom

ever being commissioned

~M34 Mars class battlecru iser begin to replace Styx class

heavy cruisers

M36 Emperor class Divine Right recovered estimated to

have been in the warp or ten millennia

M36 Despoiler class battleships developed as p

Gareox Prerogative

M36 Age o Apostasy

M37 The Lunar cruiser class begins to replace t

class cruiser

M38 Adeptus Mechanicus Artisan- Magos Hyus N

pletes a number o new ship designs, inc

Tyrant class cruiser

M39 Production o Mars class battlecr uisers stops

ries beore Gothic war)

M40 Designs or the Indel escort are stolen and

o Chaos begin their construction

M41 Falchion class escort developed to replace

Indel class

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DRY DOCK

BUILDING THE ZEUS LIGHT CRUISER by MaNGoZac

I recently received an email rom my riend Vaaish, notiying me

that he was taking over the editorial aspect o Warp Rit and asking

i I could do some articles or upcoming issues. Well how could I

say no? So here I present my rst article or Warp Rit, providing acondensed overview o the process that goes into designing and

completely scratchbuilding a BFG model: the Zeus light cruiser.

Following the completion o my Zeus prow project, I received

a lot o eedback rom people suggesting that I try my hand at a

ull scratchbuild, specically a model along the same lines as the

inamous Voss light cruisers (o which only a handul were ever

produced by Games Workshop beore the product was canned).

All o the ego stroking went to my head and I accepted the chal-

lenge, embarking in what would end up being a 3-month project.

For a number o reasons I had never been a big an o the Voss light

cruiser design, so ater accepting the challenge Vaaish and I came

up with what we elt to be a very nice new design, combining a

number o diferent Imperial design aesthetics so that it would t

in with any Imperial eet theme.

I will point out early on that the intention rom the start was to

make a model that I could then duplicate in resin so I could have a

number in my eet (and provide a couple as prizes or Gothicomp

2010 as it turned out). This has two implications on the project:

1. The design must be constructe d with casting in mind, so that

it is split up into easily cast components.

2. No Games Workshop parts can be used, as there can be legal

implications or casting GW IP. This means that all parts to be

cast will be 100% build rom scratch.

With a plan in place, the project had begun. This article is in essencea stripped down version o the build thread I ran on Port Maw and

Resin Addict, and thus uses only the images I took or those posts.

This means that they are more progress reports than instructional

pictures, but I hope that by presenting them here and discussing

the process people will be able to learn rom it.

The Concept Art

So Ive scratchbuilt a ew things by now, and the biggest thing one

can do to ensure that the project goes as smoothly as possible is

to have some good concept art to work rom. Some people are

sculpting reaks who can just mash plastic and putty and come up

with something awesome, but not me. Thankully Vaaish is quitean accomplished graphic designer and ater I supplied him with

a crude sketch o my own, he returned to me a beautiul sketch

showing the side and top views o the design. Furthermore, as the

project progressed he provided updated versions o the

Although the nal physical design does have variatio

concept art, this does not make the concept art any les

or useul.

Equally important at this stage is deciding how the mod

broken up or casting. O course i doing your own one o

build this isnt a concern but in my case it was! I decided t

hull into three main pieces: the prow, the hull and the e

n. In addition to that would be the horizontal and vert

or a total o 6 parts. Later in the project I decided to do

prow variant and my own design o weapons battery,

the parts count to nine.

Initial Frame

Since I was happy with the main proportions o the conce

rst step in the process was to print it out, measure anthe basic side prole to some 1mm thick styrene sheet. T

is made rom just two materials: styrene and putty, howe

several diferent styrene extruded shapes in addition to

sheet. A couple more shapes were added and a basic

ormed, as shown in the picture. Note the early engi

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that was soon ater scrapped or a better one. When working with

styrene I use plastic cement almost exclusively.

Adding Details

OK lets just say that this project took a lot longer than I had antici-

pated, mainly due to the level o detail required! Each and every

little thing had to be cut rom some tiny styrene extrusion. The

arches below the bridge took quite a while to complete, each re-

quiring a precisely drilled hole which was then cut into an arch. Itsso small and ddly that I broke the rst two attempts.

The detail is all added in layers, which I hope these images portray.

When breaking them down like that the task isnt so daunting and

the process can be made out airly easily. In this picture you can see

the new 6-tube engine design. By ar the most widely used styrene

strip in this project was the 0.75mmx0.25mm stuf used or most

o the detailing. I oten built it up in sections to get 0.5mm and

0.75mm by gluing two or three strips on top o each other. Alterna-

tively you could just buy the right thicknesses o strip, but that can

get quite expensive!

The next ew shots show the continued detail build up. You will

notice that some sections (particularly the block just at o the

weapons module) receive some gradual rework as the design

is rened. You must excuse the misalignment o the parts in the

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photos they are just being held together with globs o blu-tac,

which doesnt exactly make or precision joins!

Weapons Battery Module

Unortunately I didnt take any pictures o the very early stages o

the weapons battery design, but much like the ship itsel its simply

the gradual building up o styrene.

The grey domes used to make the top row o turrets (and used in

other places on the ship) are a little scratchbuilding secret called

Modelling Support Goods made by Kotobukiya in Japan. They

produce a number o small sprues with all sorts o cool shapes and

sizes or detailing and although intended or Gunpla (i.e. Gundam

models), they work just ne or any modelling application. They

can be intimidating to buy though i youve never dealt with Japa-

nese online stores.

Barrels or the top row turrets are made rom 0.8mm diameter

tinned copper wire (the lead o a 1N4007 diode shopped up, or

those who know what that is).

The Prow

Originally the plan or the project was to do a unique new prow

design in which the bulk o the prow was covered with sweeping

orward wings o the eagle, but ater it had been created there was

a lot o eedback that I should do a standard Voss style prow. So

I did both!

Both prows are constructed using the same technique. The rst

step is to create a basic rame out o 0.75mm styrene: this includes

the side prole piece, top surace, bottom surace and rear. Once

the glue is set then some Milliput is mixed up and pushed into the

cavities o the rame. You then have two options: spend some time

to properly sculpt the Milliput into the exact shape o the prow

itsel (i.e. the blank prow without the eagle, wings, etc.) or just do a

rough shaping beore letting the Milliput set and then rening theshape with sandpaper. I preer the latter option as I nd it easier,

but either technique is perectly valid.

Once the basic prow shape is complete its then time to detail. More

styrene is used to create interesting shapes on the top and bottom

suraces, like the miniature masts, etc. I sculpted the armoured

lower tip o the prows with Milliput using the same technique o

rough application and then urther renement through carving

and sanding once it has set.

Arguably one o the most dicult par ts o the project (depending on

how good a sculptor you are) is creating the prow gurehead eagle.

It took me a couple o goes to get right. First of the basic outline is

sketched onto the prow using a pencil. Ensure that various pointsare measured so that the two sides are symmetrical as possible. I

ound it easiest to sculpt the wings rst (one side at a time, allow-

ing curing in between) and then the head in a separate session. For

the record, my medium o preerence or this kind o scu

50/50 mix o greenstuf and Milliput. I hate working with

by itsel and or very ne work the uncured Milliput can

too. But mix them together and you have the best o bo

Note that in these pictures only the Voss style prow was

this mix as I was still experimenting through this project.

The very last step in creating the prow is to carve the

and drill torpedo tubes. Again, I rst sketch them on in

then create over the top o these lines. The panel line

using a tiny saw blade intended to t onto a scalpel, wwiden using a sculpting tool that I nd has a perectly sh

or carving panel lines.

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Finalisation

You may notice in some pictures pink areas on the mod

where Ive used automotive spot putty to ll in little gap

Although the spot putty can only ll small gaps/holes (a

times may need a couple o coats), its extremely quick c

means that it can be sanded and worked with ater less th

hour, much aster than sculpting putties! It does need to

a well ventilated room though...

With the master model complete its time or moulding an

but those are subjects or another day! Here are some p

the nished product.

Conclusion

As mentioned earlier in the article, this project did end

much longer than I had rst anticipated, and by the end

tainly eager to see the completion. I now have several o

and gave a couple to Vaaish who did a antastic job o

them up (I have too much un modelling these days to

or painting!). Although Im currently working on plans

scale model scratchbuild, Im always discussing ideas o

projects with others and I wouldnt be surprised i I takone on soon enough!

I hope this article has presented a suitably useul demon

the process used to scratchbuild a BFG model and that

others to undertake such projects. I you do, please tak

share the results! For any questions or urther inormatio

to contact me or the other mad keen modellers on the Re

orum at http://www.resinaddict.com/orum/

Thanks or reading!

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SHOWCASE

GOTHICOMP 2010 FLEET CATEGORY WINNER: WESSELSTEIN

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

My name's Hugo (known as "Minus" on internetboards) and I'm a 27-year-old French gamer. Ive

played WHFB, 40k and Mordheim since I was in

high school and a riend o mine wanted us to

start playing BattleFleet Gothic. The board we

belong to has group painting projects in which

several people build and paint an army at the

same time with several steps and deadlines to

observe. When the board launched a BattleFleet

Gothic project, my riend joined it and so did I !

The aim or the teen attendees was to paint

a 750 points eet plus some scenery elements

during a three months period. My riend had

chosen to paint a dirty Nurgle Fleet, I decided to

do the opposite and paint an immaculate Impe-

rial Navy Fleet. I wanted to use purple as the main

color. Ater some color scheme trials, the current

one came out : metallic purple or the body, and a

white prow with golden ornaments to symbolize

the purity and the arrogance o the Imperium.

This year's Gothicomp ended exactly the same

day as our deadline and we thought that attend-

ing to this contest was a unny way to end our

project. That's why several French painters were

present this year.

To conclude, I'd like to thank the Gothicomp team

and all those who voted or my eet.

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VOID STALKER

BATTLES IN THE WARP by DaN LEE

Though ghting space battles in the Warp is dangerous to the

point o being suicidal, there are times when an admiral is desper-

ate or crazy enough to try it. Such battles are incredibly dicult to

ght as most o a ships auger systems are non-unctional in warp

space and much o the ships power must be diverted to the Geller

eld which maintains a bubble or real-space around the ship.

Fighting a battle in warp space is best done as a one-of battle

where both players agree to do so beore hand, or as an interesting

twist to a scenario in a narrative campaign.

SCENARIO

Given the rarity o battles in the warp they are probably best rep-

resented by conrontations between small orces. I would recom-

mend playing a small point size eet engagement or a cruiser clash.

Small games are also helpul as the rules or ghting in warp space

are quite chaotic and could over-burden a larger game.

CELESTIAL PHENOMENA

There is no solar wind or light rom the stars in warp space, so there

is no need to roll to see which table edge is sunward. For the sake

o Eldar movement, assume that they are always acing away rom

the sunward edge.

The warp is completely alien to real-space, but at the same time

contains reections o real-space which create deceptively amiliar

phenomena.

Use the ollowing generator to determine celestial phenomena

(roll D6):

1. Warp Tsunami: Roll a D6 at the start o each player turn. On a

roll o 6 a tsunami occurs. Every ship or squadron must make a

leadership test. Any ship or squadron that ails is attacked by

the equivalent o a strength 2D6 lance battery (roll separately

or each ship or squadron). Shields and brace or impact are

allowed as normal. I multiple tsunamis are generated only roll

one D6 per player turn, but continue to roll each turn or the

tsunamis until all generated tsunamis have arrived.

2. Warp Current: Draw an arrow D3 x 10cm long. Determine the

arrows direction using a scatter dice. Any ship crossing the

arrow will immediately move in the direction o the arrow by

2D6cm without changing its direction. I two currents cross

and a ship is thereore moved through one current ollowed by

the other, apply both current movement efects in ull.

3. D3 Warp Currents

4. Shoal of Warp Predators: A shoal o warp predators is D3 x

5cm by D3 x 5cm big. Any ship which is in base contact with

one or more shoals during any part o the movem

sufers D6 hit and run attacks at the end o the m

phase. In every end phase move each shoal D6cm to

nearest ship.

5. D3 Shoals o Warp Predators

6. Ghost Planet: Place a small planet on the table. The

planets gravity well randomly uctuates. At the sta

player turn roll D3 and multiply the result by 5cm to g

o the planets gravity well.

SPECIAL RULES

Beyond the Geller Field: Anything which passes beyo

Geller eld immediately begins to break down as the laws

upon which its very existence depends begin to unravel

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Lances(andsimilarweapons)hitona5+ifthetargetisover30cm

away, and require a 6+ to hit i the target is over 45cm away.

Weaponsbatteries(andsimilarweapons)suerarightcolumn

shit or every 15cm (or part thereo) that the target is away.

Novacannonsmaynotberedastheirammunitionistoopre-

cious to be wasted in the warp.

Ordnancewaveslooseasinglesquadronortorpedoattheend

o each ordnance phase.

Teleportattackssimplydonotworkasthematterbeamsdis-

solve in the warp.

Geller Field Failure: The rigours o battle play havoc with a ships

Geller eld, which makes incoming re doubly dangerous when

ghting in the warp. At the start o each end phase every ship or

escort squadron that has taken a point or more o damage in the

current turn, or is in contact with blast markers, must make a Geller

eld check. Geller eld checks are resolved as ollows:

1. Roll 1D6 and then add one or each point o damage taken in

the current turn, plus another one or each blast marker that

the ship (or squadron) is in contact with. As escort squadrons

that are damaged are destroyed, you do not need to add the

amount o damage taken by escort squadrons to their Geller

eld checks.2. Subtract the ships remaining hit points or the squadrons re-

maining number o escorts rom that number.

3. The ship or squadron then sufers a number o hit and run

attacks equal to this remaining number as warp predators

and daemons nd weaknesses in the Geller eld and begin

materializing onboard the ship. In the case o esc

rons the hits are distributed as evenly as possible a

squadron.

Battles in the warp work normally in all other respects. S

normally, can disengage (they make an emergency real-s

sition), and have shields. Note that loosing shields is not

as loosing the Geller eld. A ship can have its shields dow

sufer a Shields Collapse critical hit and still be protecGeller eld.

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OFFICER'S MESS

A GOOD DEED, PART 1 by a. R. asToN

The signal came in bursts. At rst it was garbled; like a person

shouting underwater. Then, as the Explorer neared the waysta-

tion, the signal relayed through the bright glinting space station

became much clearer.

++Come to us... help...++

Repeated over and over, the signal called out to KorVanai and his

various water caste interpreters like a siren song. PorKais, the PorO

o his expedition was almost certain the voices down the line were

Guela voices (indeed, he had translated the signal or the Air Caste

Admiral only scant days beore), but distorted somehow. It wasnt

just intererence or the long lag and deterioration that eventually

decayed all signals in the void; their voices sounded strained and

unlike the deep throaty voices o GueVesa he had met. As i they

were gargling something vile.

He turned inside his grave-dome; letting his limbs oat without

efort in the weightless sphere, as he languidly pressed holographicrunes or tapped on symbols that were pressed into the plastic-glass

that surrounded him. With a gesture, an image o the world beyond

the explorers ank-windows swam into view. It was an odd realm;

the space between space. The Earth Caste knew it as another di-

mension, a realm when time and space contracted, until journeys o

millennia took weeks, unlocking a realm o near-innite possibility

beyond Tau. Out into the galaxy, where his race could encounter

diverse cultures and bring them into the old o the greatest good

in the galaxy. The thought made him smile, yet the aster than light

dimension always unsettled him or some reason.

For two decades he had plied this realm; plunging his various

vessels into a yawning chasm o darkness and dull muted colours

his sensors couldnt quite determine, beore his vessel would expe-

rience a sudden surge in apparent speed. It didnt eel like he had

penetrated anything at all. It elt, in his hollow bones, that the ships

o the Tau were being skipped along the surace o some great

vast... deepness, which would not permit them entry. O course the

guela, that ancient race o star-mariners, spoke o the realm as i it

were some realm o mythical monsters and sea beasts, but every

caste knew the guela were hopeless mystics; they saw terrors

wherever they went, and whoever they met. Anything they didnt

understand was a oe to be overcome. Perhaps that was why their

Empire, the Imperium was so reluctant to join with the Tau and

help them save the galaxy rom the old terror o disunity?

hate, but rather a collective terror, a ear o the dark betw

Vanai lacked this deect o course, as did his race entire

trusted the Earth Caste. They would one day penetrate th

ies o that anomalous dimension. A phenomenon under

a phenomenon overcome. Vanai couldnt remember w

had said that. He cursed himsel or his laxity.

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His mind returned eventually to the signal. Guela calling out into

the void or help. This deep in Tau space, they must know only theTau could respond quickly enough to do anything or them? Yes,

this signal was surely or them; the Guela were throwing them-

selves upon the mercy o the KaMais sept. Vanai vowed that he

would prove to them that their hope was not unounded. Then,

perhaps, the way would be paved or assimilation into the collec-

tive. In truth, the humans would have no choice but to accept the

Greater Good. KorVanai couldnt in good conscience save a guela

vessel only or it to remain opposed to his ideology. E couldnt

permit an enemy to grow stronger rom his charity, only to strike

at the Empire later. The Tau were many things; merciul, persuasive,

hopeul, but they werent naive. I they rejected their eforts to help

them become better than they were, then hed have to remove the

threat, regrettably. Such is the price o peace.

The vast Explorer class starship broke back into realspace in a

wash o azure hues and strange coils o colour that lingered

briely on the colossal hull like electromagnetic ripples o

energy; ghosts o a realm beyond the real. The cold, expansivevoid stretched out in all directions, studded with pearl-like stars

that glittered with promise.

Admiral, wide range scans have yet to pick up the engine signa-

ture o the stricken GueLa vessel, one o the KorLa explained in

calm tones rom his own grav couch.

Keep scanning; it may be shrouded by the radiation rom this

systems red star. It is in its last stages beore collapse, he replied

proessionally. No one argued.

# # #

It took the expedition three days to locate the weak, stuttering sig-

nals source, winking rom the midst o a eld o slowly spinning

debris. KorVanai didnt like to linger or so long in such a realm

o the dead and the silent. It was a diversion rom the

goal; the oundation o the new colony worlds beyond t

ern plane-wards region o the third sphere expansion. B

they ound the vessel originating the communication,

the Tau eet burst into the system like worrying pilot

their wayward behemoth.

AunTava was on the deck as they reached the vessel, and

on the bridge stood that little bit straighter, or spoke wi

altering, awe-inspired words while the Ethereal paced t

polished oors with almost the practiced grace o a dan

May I see the ship, Admiral? Tava asked sweetly, her

honey; peaceul yet so ull o certainty it made Vanai

simple joy to hear it. He compiled instantly, tapping sev

until a wide panel o a viewscreen shimmered into existe

the Ethereal.

The ship was ugly; it was prooundly angular and osten

could almost pass or a greenskin vessel i it wasnt or th

signs o aesthetic that showed through in the great

and crenulations that decorated the stricken vessel. An

it was, or its entire port side seemed ripped away; r

o ormerly-liquid metal spiralling of rom the old wdebris eld was composed o elements o the injured v

there was too much wreckage or it to be the remains o

ship. There must have been a great and terrible battle

the system. Not a clean and civilised engagement bet

naval powers, but some great and brutal mauling. A war

and mutual destruction. A war between barbarians. Kor

curled in distaste.

I think we should send a team to this vessel, to rescue the

calling out to us. Do you think this KorVanai? Tava asked

Up until then, KorVanai had not thought o this. But no

had said it, he was certain that is what should happen.

O course. I will organise the details Aun, he nodded inweightlessness.

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She nodded humbly, deerring to the technical skills o the various

castes under her guidance. The ethereal never claimed to be

experts in the eld o leading or organizing. They were to guide

and encourage and to shape the ideology upon which their civili-

zation rested. They were the bedrock and the cornerstone in one.

He reluctantly turned away rom the Ethereal, and ocussed once

more upon the orbidding darkness o the wreck.

I anyone still lived, then by the Aun hed bring them into the light.

# # #

ShasUiLox was the rst into the breach burned into the guela ves-

sels hull. There was no light, save the glittering o broken displays

and dials long since shattered into irrelevance.

Blacklight, was all he needed to say to his men as he plunged into

the darkness, anked by his re team.

Within moments, the darkness vanished; replaced by a world illu-

minated in blue-green tones. The Tau warriors moved rom room

to room, deck to deck, with practiced eciency and cold precision.

First the bobbing sensor drone would enter each chamber in turn,passing its wide beams throughout, searching or any signs o lie.

The Fire Warriors would ollow the instant the dull-witted machine

bleeped a positive result.

The ship was a tomb or the most part, with deck ater deck lled

with shattered consoles and void-rozen corpses sprawled across

the ground in various stages o decay and destruction. Red alien

blood coated the walls in nonsensical patterns, and gathered in

tight little crimson ball bearings o rozen gore across the oor. Lox

thanked the Earth Caste or his sealed environmental suit, which

warmed his blood despite the hateul chill beyond. It took them

almost 2 decs o dispassionate searching beore they ound the lo-

cation o the miniscule heat source that still lived within the ruin.

From deathly chill to sweltering heat, the re team burst into the

heated deck. Here there was air, yet Lox reused to allow his ellow

Tau to sample it, or he opened his vents or a ew seconds and

instantly regretted it. Faeces and lth assailed his sense organs

in an overwhelming tide o revulsion. He knew Guela had a poor

sense o smell, but surely they knew this rotten stench was beyond

tolerable! But then again, it seemed they had little choice. One

did what one could to survive he supposed, as he looked upon

the wretches that huddled in alcoves and doorways, glaring at his

men with eyes aame with hope, or perhaps mania. Bodies and

ruptured tins o rotting ood and other, less wholesome remnants,

littered the oor hoo-deep. He sealed his helmet vents with an

unseen sneer o distaste.

The aces o the survivors were carved with that same runic lan-

guage Lox had ailed to decipher beore, and their hair was matted

with caked grime and dried blood, giving them an ever more

savage appearance.

Lox almost stumbled as a dozen o the gures pressed upon

him and his team, hands groping the armour and stroking it like

beggars. They babbled and moaned in guela speak. Lox tapped

his helmet antennae once.

ShasUiLoxVaneshKais here. We have located survivors. Water

caste, Im linking my audio sensors to your control desks; tell me

what they are saying.Within moments, the smooth voice o PorKais ltered through the

comm.

++ They are asking i you have come to save them. Others are

thanking you, and a ew are begging you to help their... leader. ++

Hesitation? Lox inquired.

++ Apologies. Their dialect is strange. It might be leader, or holy

man, or demagogue. I cannot be entirely certain. ++

Lox shrugged, gesturing or them to lead on.

They plunged deeper into the inner reaches o the cramped guela

vessel, with its narrow passages and harsh angular lines. Only the

icker o torch-ames illuminated the path through the squaloror the guela, while Lox retained his green mono-colour image

to navigate by. He took note o several strange and interesting

machines as he passed, making a mental note to inorm

Caste o interesting new technology that could be assim

their wider knowledge. Every situation was an opportun

terment, he smiled sagely.

Eventually, they reached the innermost sanctum o the c

o starving aliens. A strange star-like symbol was carve

deck plates, and dozens o guela clad in black and w

hung back in the shadows, observing the new arrivals

the middle o the room, surrounded by several mutteri

clad in bloodstained orange workers atigues, was a ma

ing up blood. His body was a ravished mess; probably th

multiple projectile wounds. The primitive guela had att

help the stricken gure, but their stitches and bandages

ully inadequate and oozed pus and inected esh which

would stink o rot. A wilting stick o some sort o parch

rolled and sat smoking in his mouth, and the dying ma

to gurgle with laughter as the smoke billowed rom a

wound which opened up his throat. It seemed surreal

an injured gure could seem so at peace. Perhaps he kn

dying? Perhaps he had given up?

The men at his side babbled at the Fire Warriors and

rantically.

What are they...?

++ Save him! Save him! Please! Please! The saviour mu

The truth must be known! That is as much as I can

ShasUi. I suspect this is some sort o spiritual leader, a

own Aun. I strongly advise you bring him to the ship o

We will require him or negotiation. ++

Understood. Earth Caste; We will require a saviour

several medical attendants as soon as possible. In a

have markerlighted several technologies o interest a

ShasUiLox out.

e' n: l h nun "a g d" n h nWarp Rift.

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