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SquadronROE posted:I just finished Gunheads last night. I liked it quite a bit compared to staring blankly at a wall while I wait to fall asleep. I really enjoy the one off books that dive into an area we don't see much of normally. So like Gunheads, Double Eagle, Titanicus, etc. I would kill for more Imperial Navy focused books, I could seriously read Master and Commissar 40k for years and never get sick of it. I'll even take more Rogue Trader books, more huge space ship battles please Black Library.
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Jan 18, 2013 04:53
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orphean posted:I would kill for more Imperial Navy focused books, I could seriously read Master and Commissar 40k for years and never get sick of it. There really ought to be a word for finding something you never knew you needed. I want to read this so badly.
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Jan 18, 2013 05:55
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Going back to the blanks/pariahs... Have there ever been any that were made Space Marines? Seems like the Sons of Russ would try to breed Fenris blanks and try to ascend them in hopes of making a huge gently caress you to the Thousand Sons so if they ever cross paths again that they'll put Magnus down for good. Or does the Office get to steal any of the good ones to put through their programs to make more anti-chaos assassins?
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Jan 18, 2013 07:10
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You might be interested in ADB's The Emperor's Gift.
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Jan 18, 2013 07:23
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Alchenar posted:A force sword that is unique in a way that just so happens to totally make it a lightsaber. Originally, in early drafts of Star Wars, everyone carried lightsabers. Even Stormtroopers. The reasoning was that they wanted to avoid shooting holes in their spaceships.  No idea how canon this is now, but for a while the idea was that lightsabers were fairly common until they were replaced by blasters, and by the time of the Star Wars movies they are basically old-fashioned technology. And I think maybe some (more) stuff ripped from Dune about them being necessary because of high-tech personal forcefields or something.
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Jan 18, 2013 11:05
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A lot of sci-fi explains melee combat away with personal forcefields etc. In the Deathstalker series they've got everything from sabres to mono-filament swords but nobody uses guns because literally everyone has a cheap knockoff personal shield that deflects highspeed projectiles. 40k has the occasional personal forcefield that makes a guy a god on the battlefield when fighting Imperial Guard.
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Jan 18, 2013 12:25
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Demiurge4 posted:40k has the occasional personal forcefield that makes a guy a god on the battlefield when fighting Imperial Guard. Yeah, then they send thirty tanks after him.
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Jan 18, 2013 21:31
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Demiurge4 posted:A lot of sci-fi explains melee combat away with personal forcefields etc. Dune is probably the quintessential example of this. It was so OP Frank Herbert deus-ex-machina'ed that they attracted sandworms because otherwise why would you ever turn off your magical invulnerability field. You had to move in with slow feints and sneak attacks because the thing would repel anything moving quickly. A rosarius is basically this but yeah they aren't giving the IG boys them.
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Jan 19, 2013 02:33
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wiegieman posted:Yeah, then they send thirty tanks after him. I just got this vision of a 40k universe where a portable shield will be impervious... but won't stop momentum. So you get hit with a tank shell and your perfectly spherical shield-ball turns into a cannonball. It should make a "donk" sound.
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Jan 19, 2013 03:16
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VanSandman posted:I just got this vision of a 40k universe where a portable shield will be impervious... but won't stop momentum. So you get hit with a tank shell and your perfectly spherical shield-ball turns into a cannonball. I think that's exactly how they work. In The Guns of Tanith, Larkin fires two hotshots into a shielded Blood Pact officer and while it doesn't penetrate, it knocks him the gently caress down. In Honor Guard, Gaunt's sword pops a shield like nothing though, but that sword is crazy.
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Jan 19, 2013 03:52
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There's also a scene where they leave a tube-charge (think "fuckoff demolition explosive") in the room that the bad guy is charging into. He laughs off a clip of las rounds, and then his shield holds just long enough for them to notice that it contained the blast a little.
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Jan 19, 2013 10:29
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Last night, I remembered a particular line in Know no Fear, and checked it. So, uh, (Primarch-related spoiler)did they retcon Manus, Corax and Vulkan's deaths? I thought Corax went into the warp while reciting Poe; Vulkan was "still there" but there were few records besides him saying "No" to the Codex, and I can't recall whether Manus was supposed to die at the Dropsite Massacre, as "Fulgrim" narrates.
Azran fucked around with this message at 17:53 on Jan 19, 2013 |
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Jan 19, 2013 10:52
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Azran posted:Last night, I remembered a particular line in Know no Fear, and checked it. So, uh, (Primarch-related spoiler)did they retcon Manus, Corax and Vulkan's deaths? I thought Corax went into the warp while reciting Shakespeare; Vulkan was "still there" but there were few records besides him saying "No" to the Codex, and I can't recall whether Manus was supposed to die at the Dropsite Massacre, as "Fulgrim" narrates. It wasn't a retcon. The Dropsite Massacre just happened and the three were all at large, so they're all counted as dead. I'm not sure how many people know that Fulgrim personally slayed Ferrus Manus, though. Or maybe Lorgar knew but was lying to further demoralize Guilliman.
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Jan 19, 2013 16:58
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Azran posted:Last night, I remembered a particular line in Know no Fear, and checked it. So, uh, (Primarch-related spoiler)did they retcon Manus, Corax and Vulkan's deaths? I thought Corax went into the warp while reciting Shakespeare; Vulkan was "still there" but there were few records besides him saying "No" to the Codex, and I can't recall whether Manus was supposed to die at the Dropsite Massacre, as "Fulgrim" narrates. Corax was quoting Poe.
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Jan 19, 2013 17:04
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Oh, alright then. Thanks for the answers!Neurosis posted:Corax was quoting Poe. Hahahahaha.  Sorry, that was a really stupid mistake and I'm ashamed of myself.
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Jan 19, 2013 17:53
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Ferrus dying has always been canon. Corax escapes to personally inform the Emperor of the Dropsite Massacre. Vulkan survives as well, but in what fashion is unknown; he's a non-entity for the rest of the Heresy, but afterwards is listed as one of the Primarchs opposing the Codex Astartes' splitting of the legions before disappearing forever much in the fashion of Leman Russ.
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Jan 19, 2013 19:51
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Affi posted:No he lost that sword in like the first book. (the one that was an actual lightsaber) I always figured it was a C'tan phase blade, and he just didn't know...then I went and read that phase blades are made of metal, but had always pictured them as energy weapons.
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Jan 20, 2013 05:33
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Nephilm posted:Ferrus dying has always been canon. Corax escapes to personally inform the Emperor of the Dropsite Massacre. Vulkan survives as well, but in what fashion is unknown; he's a non-entity for the rest of the Heresy, but afterwards is listed as one of the Primarchs opposing the Codex Astartes' splitting of the legions before disappearing forever much in the fashion of Leman Russ. Angel Exterminatus suggests Vulkan is prisoner of the World Eaters in a special prison Perturbo built.
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Jan 20, 2013 16:51
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Fried Chicken posted:Angel Exterminatus suggests Vulkan is prisoner of the World Eaters in a special prison Perturbo built. That'd be consistent with Lorgar and Angron's comments regarding him in Betrayer.
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Jan 20, 2013 17:03
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Fried Chicken posted:Angel Exterminatus suggests Vulkan is prisoner of the World Eaters in a special prison Perturbo built. That's pretty cool, how does this tie in with the Salamanders and the artifacts of Vulkan though? Are the artifacts in fact part of a plan to rescue their Primarch that has been partially forgotten?
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Jan 20, 2013 22:21
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Repeating myself, existing fluff is that he shows up after the Heresy to oppose the Codex, and then disappears. What would make most sense is that he either manages to escape or is rescued from imprisonment while the Heresy is still going on.
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Jan 20, 2013 22:49
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Finally finished The Siege of Castellax. It started out mediocre and got worse as it went on. Thematically the book had absolutely nothing going on, somehow made both the Iron Warriors and Orks seem dumb and boring, and had one of the worst endings and "twists" I've ever seen. Do not recommend. Just started Salvation's Reach and it's like a breath of fresh air.
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Jan 21, 2013 15:14
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I started rereading the Eisenhorn trilogy after like . . .6 years maybe? God drat do those books own. (Also I was amazed how much I forgot.) I know it is well known but they are easily the best BL books available.
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Jan 21, 2013 15:16
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There's three types of field in 40k. Conversion fields turn momentum into light and can blind people looking at the dude being shot at. A Rosarius is one of these, standard 4+ invulnerable save. Refraction fields bend the momentum of an attack and might allow you to dodge it. It's a 5+ save. Displacer fields. Now THOSE are fun. 3+ save, but if you make it you teleport randomly out of the way. Amberly has one in the first Ciaphas Cain book. "Hillarity ensues" etc.
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Jan 21, 2013 15:23
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Mechafunkzilla posted:Just started Salvation's Reach and it's like a breath of fresh air. Finished it last night, I kinda liked it but I think the series is getting too embroiled for its own good. There is just a bit too much going on at the same time and I'm sorta miffed that I have to wait for the next book to see what the real outcome actually is. It's not bad by any standards but the build-up perhaps goes on for a bit too long for a rather weak climax.
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Jan 21, 2013 15:51
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Cooked Auto posted:Finished it last night, I kinda liked it but I think the series is getting too embroiled for its own good. There is just a bit too much going on at the same time and I'm sorta miffed that I have to wait for the next book to see what the real outcome actually is. I think the series is wrapping up soon, in any case. I mean, the current arc is called The Victory, though of course that might just be a macabre misdirection on Abnett's part. Also, weak and abrupt endings are kind of Abnett's thing. It's almost endearing at this point.
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Jan 21, 2013 16:10
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We're two books into The Victory, and depending on Abnett's pace he could probably finish the Ghosts story in two books, maybe three. We've got the outcome of Salvations Reach and he can bring in lots of information on how the Warmaster is doing on the front. My personal favorite outcome is that the Ghosts finally make it to the frontline to fight alongside the Warmaster and the Saint again in a final showdown with the chaos Warlord. Or they'll be finishing up the Son's of Sek storyline on the sides with Innokenti Sek somehow. Honestly it could go any which way. Salvations reach spoiler: I really want to see where Abnett intends to go with Gaunt's son. Is he destined for something great, or is he going to force Gaunt into a choice between his service to the Emperor and saving his son's life?
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Jan 21, 2013 16:32
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As much as it does feel short, the ending of Salvation's Reach is pretty much the right place to leave it. We already know what the objective of the whole thing was, so the ramifications for that will be spelled out in Biota's intro to the next book, and other than that it's just the butcher's bill that we don't know.
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Jan 21, 2013 16:34
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Mechafunkzilla posted:Also, weak and abrupt endings are kind of Abnett's thing. It's almost endearing at this point. Yeah pretty much. Been a while since I read anything by him so I had sorta forgotten that it's his shtick somewhat. Arquinsiel posted:As much as it does feel short, the ending of Salvation's Reach is pretty much the right place to leave it. We already know what the objective of the whole thing was, so the ramifications for that will be spelled out in Biota's intro to the next book, and other than that it's just the butcher's bill that we don't know. That is also true I have to admit but it still felt rather lacklustre from the long build-up that preceded it. But it does make sense anyway. Speaking of which I would kill for a sequel to the Sabbat Worlds crusade lore book they released a couple of years ago. Fat chance that happening though since BL has pretty much given up on those big sized books by now. I mean their latest fluff/lore book was just a reprint of the trooper primer and I have no idea if they've got anything more like that planned. Which is really disappointing. 
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Jan 21, 2013 17:10
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Is there not a normal version of Betrayer in e-book form? I can only find what appears to be the $16 "enhanced" e-book on the Black Library website.
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Jan 21, 2013 17:55
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Probably not until it comes out in paperback as well.
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Jan 21, 2013 18:38
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What does "enhanced" ebook even mean, anyway?
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Jan 21, 2013 23:58
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Black Library posted:The Horus Heresy: Betrayer is presented in an enhanced eBook format and includes exclusive internal illustrations by artist Karl Richardson.
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Jan 22, 2013 00:21
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mastermind2004 posted:As far as I can tell it means they put some extra pictures in the e-book to justify charging twice as much for it. I was googling this and this seems to be it. You won't find a definition of 'enhanced ebook' anywhere on Black Library.  That's the GWiest thing ever!
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Jan 22, 2013 00:28
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It's only 3 or 4 illustrations that serve no purpose and don't really show any important scenes. I'm trying to remember what they were, but I can't. I read these books on my kindle, so illustrations aren't really a selling point. Betrayer was pretty good though.
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Jan 22, 2013 01:20
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The images were a nice addition but don't justify the price hike. Though I kinda want to see a WH40K coloring book now. One or two were of Kharn (The one posted here is online and was part of the promotion of the book or something). One was Angron flipping his poo poo and maybe there was one of Argel Tal. There was also one of Warhound Titans surrounding an Emperor class. Here's the one of Kharn that's on the WH40K Wiki: 
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Jan 22, 2013 03:14
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No, the illustrations certainly do not justify the extra price. Most of them aren't that good anyway. If they had some nice color plates by Karl Kopinski or Adrian Smith, then yes, the price might be justified, but for what they offer, no way. The Kharn image is probably the only good pic I've seen in any of those books. Unfortunately, I think BL is going to go crazy with it's stupid "exclusive" formats and their excessive overcharging, and they're going to start alienating people and lose a lot of business. I know people are already pissed that they can't get their hands on some of the Horus Heresy stuff because of the dumb "limited" editions. BL also dumped the $3.99 monthly Hammer & Bolter (which, admittedly, wasn't that great to begin with) in favor of weekly short stories for $2.99 each. Apparently, the beancounters over at GW who have hosed over the tabletop version for years now have moved over into the BL publishing department. It will be interesting to see what Privateer Press does with their new digital imprint. I'd like to see what they charge for a book vs. what BL is charging. Looks like they're pulling some of the BL authors over too, so that will be interesting as well.
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Jan 22, 2013 15:34
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BL haven't really got their heads round the whole "digital products should encourage the customer to buy there and then" thing. Instead they're playing wanky games that will probably just push people towards piracy.
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Jan 22, 2013 15:45
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Calling GW's money people "bean counters" is an insult to bean counters the world over.
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Jan 22, 2013 16:00
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Rapey Joe Stalin posted:BL haven't really got their heads round the whole "digital products should encourage the customer to buy there and then" thing. Instead they're playing wanky games that will probably just push people towards piracy. Arquinsiel posted:Calling GW's money people "bean counters" is an insult to bean counters the world over.
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Jan 22, 2013 17:18
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