Topic: CSM rumors - pretty huge pile from an online Q&A session

[Aldaris]

Rumored rules for the Hellbrute (aka Dreadnought):

I just want to clarify that while it is listed as having a Power Fist and not a Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon, because it is a Walker it does not suffer from the Unwieldy special rule, that's why it's simplified in the codex entry.

120 points

It's 12/12/10
Str 6, ws 4, bs4, i4

Multi-Melta / Power Fist (with inbuilt combi-bolter)

can swap the Multi-Melta for a butcher-cannon, or twin reaper auto cannons (which is pretty cool, since that's an entire riflemen in one arm, but with less range), twin-linked lascannon or a twin-linked heavy flamer.
can swap combi-bolter for a meltagun or heavy flamer

Has rampage

Mark of Khorne: Rage USR
Mark of Nurgle: 5+ restore a hull point OR repair immobilized / weapon destroyed at the start of a turn.  Does not let it get back up after having been killed unlike Unholy Vigor.
Mark of Slaanesh: Sonic scream, gives it offensive/defensive grenades
Mark of Tzeench: flame weapons (if it has any) are +1 strength and -1 AP (heavy flamers are AP3... whaaaat)

Now THAT sounds awesome! Rampage plus rage plus two fists would make for a pretty damn cool Khorne model, and stuff like butcher cannons and, with MoT, S6 Ap3 heavy flamers, can be a very scary shooter as well.

[GamesPoet]

Hoping whatever is in the new starter set makes for a good unit or more to have as an ally for my Orks.  Course I haven't even bought the new rules yet, so maybe that won't even be possible?

[Aldaris]

Some new stuff:

Dragon Flyer - 12/12/10

2 butcher cannons, bs3, immune to shaken/stunned, can be locked velocity as normal.  Flyer only, no hover/skimmer mode.  Can vector strike at strength 10.  Strafing run.
Because this might be misinterpreted I'm going to be really clear: It does not have "two firing profiles." It has 2 butcher cannons, and that's it.  It does not have blasts of any kind.  It is "BS4" against ground targets because of strafing run (go read it, it's a USR for details).

Terminators can be upgraded to chosen, getting +1 WS (5) and +1 wound (2), and fearless. They can take marks on top of that.  It gets expensive.
- Interestingly enough, when upgraded they are troops if you take Abbadon, yet normal Terminators are Elites.
There are no "chaos storm shields,"
The best you can get is Mark of Tzeench to upgrade your 5+ invulnerable from Terminator armour to a 4+.

There is a piece of chaos wargear that gives a 4+ invulnerable, but it is not a storm shield it can just be added for characters. Yes it upgrades via mark of tzeench to 3+.  No it's not available for sorcerers.

[Finlay]

When's the book out Aldaris?

[Fandir Nightshade]

Pokemon dragon! Hooooooo

[Aldaris]

Book will be out on 6th October apparently, preorders going up on saturday.

Faeit212 has a lot of pics and rules from White Dwarf:

http://natfka.blogspot.de/

My opinion on the new models: the Dragon looks nice (especially in the shot from above), the Raptors are amazing. Not sold on the Warp Talons, but that might be due to the paint job. Demon Engine looks freaking amazing in my opinion, both variants. The CC obliterators are terrible. Hate the faces. Could be fixed by swapping the heads for chaos terminator heads perhaps. Both the Sorcerer and the Aspiring Champion look great, and the Dark Apostle and Warpsmith are fantastic too. So overall I'm quite happy how they turned out.

As for rules, what I see so far I like. A huge Eye of the Gods like table, with mostly beneficial stuff. Psychic powers are a mixed bag, some very good, some quite meh, some plain fun (like the Tzeentch one that lets a friendly character roll on the Boons table). Marks and Banners look useful. Verhicle upgrades look useful. Special rules look useful. Hatred vs. Space Marines? Yes please.

So, I'm very much looking forward to actually reading the full book. Looks like my dear old Chaos force will be getting some serious love.

[Finlay]

I absolutely love the humans (traitor guard?) in Dark vengeance, but not the csm themselves so much. Not sure which to start!

[Delthos]

I just saw the cover of the new White Dwarf. I'm guessing that thing on the cover is a new Chaos Marine unit, possibly the Dragon I saw mentioned earlier. While I love the new cultists, that thing looks positively stupid. I've wanted to do a Chaos Marine army for a while, but that thing just makes me shake my head. It's probably going to be a must field thing as well, one of those things everyone will bash Chaos Marine players for fielding, but they are stupid to not field it.

[Quickbeam]

They are up for advance orders now! I hate all of them.

[Aldaris]

I don't really get the hate, except for the cc oblits. Those are terrible. All others range from "like" to "love" for me. The Demon Engine for example reminds me very much of a bigged up mechanical version of a Juggernaut. Very appropriate in my opinion.
*shrugs*
But there's no accounting for different tastes I suppose. Overall, I'd rate the model release as a whole at about 3.75/5.

[Delthos]

I see the similarities between it and the Juggernaught, but it just doesn't look good to me. The neck is too long and the head to tiny, the body is too bulbous. Sure it's chaotic, but something can't just look chaotic for the sake of being chaotic, to me it has to look good and from these pictures they just don't look good. I'll wait until I see an actual model before I pass final judgment on them. I know I didn't like the new Empire Gryphon when I first saw pictures of it, I also thought it's head was too small. After getting it and assembling the kit, I find I like it. This could be the case with this as well.

[Finlay]

Gw tend to do an awful job painting new models to look good too.

But from what I've seen im on delthos' side not aldaris .

[MrAbyssal]

Definitely not a fan of all the new Demon Engines. The changes are just seeming too much and too different from how CSM used to feel right now. The cultists are indeed very awesome, the rest will likely take some getting used to.

I suppose having a huge point of difference over normal marines and guard etc. should be embraced though.

[Fandir Nightshade]

I like the new look except of the Pokemon Dragon with the icy cold gaze......(I know that is Jugioh but I use the terms interchangeable).

The Frogefiends are ace and I like that chaos is taking steps to look more chaotic instead of....uhhh we are the evil chaos overlords...see we have hair knots and therfore...are evil. I never ever will get why the evil guys have those hair knots dark eldar, chaos, orks.....why?

The cultists are ace, the forgefiends are ace as are the chars. Spikes are the 40k skulls it seems.

[Sig]

+1 Fandir. Pokemon is crap, rest varying degrees of awesome. Well except the CC Oblits, they're just average.

[Aldaris]

Yeah, I'm not 100% sold on the Dragon either... I certainly don't hate it, but it doesn't really scream "buy me!" either. I would have preferred a plastic Hellblade or Helltalon as the flyer option in the book, with slight rules adjustments from the FW versions perhaps.

[Finlay]

I really like the raptors.

[Aldaris]

Those are competing for my "favourites of the new release" spot as well. Love the clearly visible pre-heresy armor pattern coupled with the chaos additions.

[Crimsonsphinx]

Well I have preordered mine.  I quite like the pokemon dragon and the other daemon engines, even if the later do look suspiciously the same shape as Tervigons/Tyranofexes.

Then again, I quite like Pokemon, it reminds me of being a kid!

Not especially loving the new combat oblits or the normal raptors.  The ones with claws are nice.  To be honest I am hoping I can get away with reusing my already vast chaos army without too many additions.  Only time will tell.

[rufus sparkfire]

Oh dear, that new chaos stuff is not good at all!

But I basically hate all 40K chaos stuff, so maybe that's why.

[Sig]

I just love the Angron model. All the new Forgeworld stuff is wonderful. So glad it's coming out before I have kids to suck away all my income!

[Delthos]

Sig, you just say I'm buying it for little Jimmy so he has an army to play. Never mind the fact that little Jimmy is only 6 months old!

[Sig]

Hah my wife's already onto me over stuff like that. I got a high elf army when she showed a vague interest in painting so she could "have her own models to paint".

[Fandir Nightshade]

Will Ahriman be in the Chaos Codex? Any news on this?

[Aldaris]

Will Ahriman be in the Chaos Codex? Any news on this?

Yes. Full rules are not yet known, but he's a lvl 4 Psyker, and he can cast up to 3 wytchfire powers a turn. He can also give D3 units infiltrate as his personal warlord trait I believe.