Quote:
Waaagh! Garaghak is gathering pace across the Forsarr sector. Several of the Imperium's worlds have already fallen to the rising green tide of Orks, and now the sector¹s primary hive world has been invaded. Garaghak's hordes seem unstoppable, except that the Raven Guard's Scouts have discovered a secret behind the Goff Warlord's unending warbands - an Ork technical genius called Mek Boss Buzzgob who has created his own factories on the former Imperial refinery world in the Kastorel system.
What is it?
A book about the Raven Guard and Elysians raiding an Ork world in a desperate attempt to hamper a Waaagh! from kicking off true and proper. However, things aren't really looking up for the Imperials, as the Orks prove to be too rowdy and unruly, resulting in a botched campaign lasting just over a day with most of the Elysians slaughtered and the Raven Guard (It was their plan) shamed. So yeah.
Okay, what is it really?
A new style Imperial Armour book that takes on a slightly different approach to the proven format in an attempt to improve on what they already had. The biggest pro is that the pages are no longer just white with text and pictures, but like codex and rulebooks they are decorated, not only that, but the entire book is now a full-colour publication.
Content.
The campaign section is rather weak, short and well, one big repeat of IA 3 really, with a lot of exclamation marks!!! and other niggly bits that make the reading odd at times. The writing style has also been changed, from a general report on the battle it instead follows several characters from both sides of the conflict. While I like the idea it leaves a bit to desired and at times it reads like fanfiction. It might be best to involve a BL writer for such things in the future.
The biggest and best part of the book is of course the data and rules section. Well, actually just the data on the new vehicles along with an extensive library on all ork vehicles found both in the codex and done by Forge World. All entries come with excellent technical drawings and well done art of the model "in action". We also get two new army lists to play with: Elysian Drop Troops (A modified Imperial Guard list with no tanks and ab-humans) and the pretty hard Ork Dread Mob (The name says it all really). However, as always the army lists are riddled with typos and odd stat lines, throw in the exclusion of clarification on certain Space Marine wargear found in the Elysian drop troop list and you've got a nice little mess here and there.
The book also provides for eight missions that allow you to recreate the disastrous conflict with most modes of play involved, but sadly Epic Armageddon and Aeronautica Imperialis aren't included this time round, though they do take a shot at a planetstrike mission, which is cute.
The rest of the book is filled with the usual top-notch colour plates showing off the various vehicles as does Karl Koppinski once again provide us with three excellent paintings of warriors involved in the fighting.
Verdict?
Great art, poor story, fire the proof-readers and hire some competent ones already!
A bit different from the established line and probably a glimpse of where they are planning to go with their books. The "background" segment was rather weak, a far cry from the excellent IA 4 through 7, as the written segments feel at times like fanfiction, while the short blurbs of the actual big picture are few and far in between. The army lists and data segments on all the new Imperial and Ork units is a nice treat though, we're even given a glimpse at a possible future version of the plastic buggy kit.
Unless you are a collector of the Imperial Armour series, an Elysian or Ork Mekanikal enthusiast I'd suggest giving this one a pass. It's a nice effort, but the many typos and poorly done campaign segment make for a weak final result.
