Ho ho ho, everybody!
Hmm. Too soon? I mean, we are still in the first half of November, but one of the perennial complaints of folks around my age- along with bad backs, aching knees, and young whippersnappers- is that Christmas seems to come earlier and earlier every year. So when I stopped by my local Warhammer store this past weekend to pick up some books, I shouldn’t have been too surprised to find that the holiday season was already gearing up.
As my youngest daughter Moira discovered, there was no shortage of abundant squig cake on display. But it’s what’s in her right hand that really commanded my attention.
But before I get into that, a quick bit of site business!
C.R.E.A.M. (Redux)
Two weeks ago, I talked a bit about Substack monetization. In short, since the Warhammer Wordforge is on Substack and Substack only gives you access to its full range of support if you have monetization turned on, I’ve made the decision to go ahead and enable it.
For example, monetized sites enter into their ranking calculations, and I was floored to see this when I logged in this morning:
Wow, thank you! I genuinely had no idea what kind of profile the site had outside of the usual readership metrics.
To be clear, there should be no change to how you enjoy the site. It’s still as free to read and enjoy as it has ever been, and I have no interest in changing that.
But if you see the option for a paid subscription, don’t be alarmed. Look at it like a tip jar- always appreciated, never expected1. And if you are in a position to materially support independent coverage of the Black Library, Warhammer role-playing, and Trench Crusade, you have my sincerest thanks!
Now, let’s get back to the books…
Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It
What Moira’s holding in the leader image above is one of the “Festive Activities” booklets available now at your Warhammer stores. It’s a robust thirty-two pages, and there are two reasons this is delightfully relevant to the Black Library.
First, there’s not one but three book excerpts contained in the guide. First up is a little slice of Da Red Gobbo’s Reckoning, by Callum Davis (Chem Dog, Those Without Mercy). The newest of the annual Red Gobbo novellas, everyone’s favorite Revolushunary is all over the guide, making this an automatic inclusion.
Next is a taste of Jude Reid’s Armageddon: Season of Fire. The launch tie-in for the game’s 11th Edition, she’s also the pen behind Fulgrim: The Perfect Son (review) and The Vorbis Conspiracy. Finally, jumping over to Age of Sigmar there’s an excerpt from The Gates of Azyr by Black Library Readers’ Hall-of-Famer Chris Wraight (Scars, Bloodlines).
Now these aren’t just in there occupying space. Rather, they’re a key component of how Games Workshop is positioning the hobby. Within the guide is a collection of five tasks, and by completing any four of them you complete the challenge and earn a special reward. Once completed, you earn a stamp in the booklet from your Warhammer store rep, and they are:
Collect. This one’s easy, just buy this year’s commemorative miniature Da Red Gobbo’s Squigmobile. At USD $48 that’s not a small ask, but thankfully this is the only one of the five that ties a commercial outlay to an achievement stamp.
Paint. There’s a ten-step painting guide on how to do Da Red Gobbo’s Squigmobile, and to earn this stamp you can either follow that or paint a mini of your own in “festive style.” With each step recommending a different color (using the old paint conventions rather than the new Tone Pro ones), you’ll have to have a fairly robust paint collection in your workshop2. That said, there’s plenty of wiggle room here; you’re welcome to paint your mini however you like, it notes, the guide is just a recommendation.
Play. It’s easy to underestimate what a machine Games Workshop is for, well, making games. We naturally focus on their big game lines and the steady edition innovations, but they regularly pump out a ton of minigames and scenarios all the time. White Dwarf, for example, has new such content every month! Festive Activities has a few in the pages here, and playing one of them (or a regular game that includes Da Red Gobbo’s Squigmobile and rules, included in the booklet) will earn you the Play stamp.
Read. This one’s super simple, all you have to do is read one of the three Black Library excerpts and tell your store manager about it to earn that stamp.
Bring a Friend. Finally, if you bring someone in to do a learn-to-paint or wargame demo, you’ve unlocked this achievement. Go on, lean into that peer pressure!
And your reward for all this hard work?
Voila! A trio of patches based on Da Red Gobbo, the Evil Sunz, and Cities of Sigmar. Patches?, you say, aren’t I little old to be rocking a battle jacket?
First off no, you’re not.
And second, patches make terrific accessories to show off in your Black Library museum or collection. For instance, Dan Abnett’s Interceptor City Mega Limited Edition came with one, and it’s part of my Aeronautica display (visible on the right):
So you’d better believe I’m locking in on this this year, and I hope that the move to center the Black Library as an integral part of the game continues!
Missing in Action (Redux)
I’m starting to wonder if the site isn’t a little warp-touched these days. For instance, right after I wrote about the curious absence of Age of Sigmar books thus far in 2026, we’ve had a stream of new arrivals announced. I recently bemoaned the lack of deluxe editions for AoS, and wouldn’t you know it this week saw one announced (Robbie MacNiven’s Herald of the Horned Rat is getting one!)
Last week I wondered where the next Hammer & Bolter animation, Butcher’s Nails, had disappeared to. Originally promised for August, it had been pushed back to October yet still failed to materialize. This past Friday, a new announcement dropped on the mothership giving us the firm, official release date of Friday, 27 November.
Not only that, but it went on to inform us that Astartes II would be hot on its heels with an 18 December release, and that there was one more series already in the hopper!
So missing it was- but not for long! And the prophetic power of the Wordforge continues!
Ahh, what’s this, then… a phone call from the Ordo Hereticus? For…me?
Uh, back in a moment!
Hopefully…
Wordforge on Facebook
Before we jump into everything else, just a quick reminder that for those of you on Facebook, the Warhammer Wordforge now has its own page here. Stop by and say hello!
Announced & Arrived
Formerly “Arrivals & Departures,” in this section I look at what’s been revealed this week and what’s been released.
Announced
While “Arrivals & Departures” had a nice resonance, far too often I got tripped up on which was which. “Arrivals” signified books we’d seen announced or teased, but it also was just as apt to describe new books arriving in the bookstores. It began to feel a little too cute for its own good, so I’ve rebranded it this week to “Announced & Arrived.” Same feature, just now with cleaner signposting.
This week saw the announcement of Robbie MacNiven’s latest, Herald of the Horned Rat. His first novel since last year’s Vagabond Squadron (review), this is hardly his first run at writing Skaven. His Gotrek novel, 2018’s The Bone Desert, featured the Skaven as its antagonists. Then last year his story Slinktalon was part of the Raiders of the Realms Week (review). Featuring Skaven as the main characters, it concerns an assassination mission- with a very unexpected twist.
Now he’s giving the Skaven a new novel, one which as I noted earlier will also be arriving in a deluxe treatment as well. You love to see it!
REMINDER
If you’re interested in securing a Premium Edition of John French’s Wrath of Terra, here’s your reminder that it will be on preorder this coming Wednesday (11/11) at 3pm BST (10am EST here in the States).
Up for preorder this week (at the usual Saturday time) is the Siege of Terra Collection V. Collecting Abnett’s The End and The Death Volume II and III into one book, it’s available in hardcover form.
Arrived
This week saw a ton of paper set free upon the world! Ben Counter’s Special Edition of Grey Knights led the charge, with hardcover releases of Raptors: War and Shadow, by William Crowe and Crucible of Fire, by Tom R. Pike hot on its heels. Then in paperback was the newest anthology, Treachery Unbound, as well as Jude Reid’s Armageddon: Season of Fire, Ghost Legion by Mike Brooks, and Death Rider by Rhuairidh James.
ICYMI
Here’s what’s been going on this week for Warhammer content! Another site update here- starting this week I’ve combined the ICYMI section (what’s going on around the community) with Quick Hits (what’s happening in the world of Black Library authors) so it’s all in one place!
Warhammer Wordforge
It was a Black Library Readers’ Hall of Fame weekend! Yesterday we celebrated the eight books from the Class of 2020 that made it in, including two first-time winners!
Meanwhile, the Wednesday Feature was a review of the newest WarhammerTV animated series, Arkanaut.
Hammer of Tertium arrived for the Wrath & Glory system from Cubicle 7 Games, and I looked at it here in Warhammer RPG Weekly.
Then in Trench Crusade Weekly, I examined the new TTRPG deal with Rowan, Rook and Decard!
Tabletop Battles
Did you know that some big Black Library names are writing fiction for Trench Crusade? If you didn’t before, you will now!
Warhammer Community
Black Library news was covered earlier, but here’s a look at the upcoming White Dwarf magazine!
WarhammerTV (paywalled)
Tomorrow sees Robert Rath appear on Scribes & Scriveners, the Black Library author-focused show. Look for my companion piece, The Author Files, to drop on the 18th.
Friday sees a supercut drop of the Age of Sigmar serial animation Blacktalon. An entire season, woven together to produce a feature film-length experience, it’s not to be missed!
Around the Webway
Arbitor Ian and Mira Manga have been busy bulking up the Precinct House channel, bringing out previous- but very timely- book reviews including those for Robert Rath’s Assassinorum: Kingmaker, Valdor: Birth of the Imperium by Chris Wraight, and the Ignorant Armies anthology!
Meanwhile, their Warhammer Book Club took on Hive, by Dan Abnett!
Speaking of book clubs, Jen and Keri of the WH40K Book Club gave a fair showing to Guy Haley’s Raldoron: Revenant.
I always enjoy short-form, quick-hit video reviews and The Amazing Kimmoth does them with an irreverent but constructively critical eye. This week’s book review was Jonathan Beer’s The King of the Spoil.
Then here’s Tyranid Girl with a look at Andy Clark’s Bad Loon Rising! Again, short form, super-punchy, and fun, I love these!
Finally, for those who prefer their reviews in prose, Mythicanum had a review of Blackheart: Claws of the Maelstrom by Marc Collins!
Cold Open Stories
No Warhammer content this week!
Black Library Authors
Andi Ewington (Fire and Fungi) penned a short, serial comic story for Supermassive Games based on their Dark Pictures anthology. Karl Richardson is doing the art, and it’s being released in installments on their Discord!
The Forbidden Planet London Megastore is having a big Christmas signing event, headlined by Garth Ennis3 and John McCrea. Also appearing will be Torunn Grønbekk (Sisters of Battle) and Si Spurrier (Lord of the Night, Glow)!
Mark Latham (Kovos Falls, Judgement) shared a Kickstarter cautionary tale on Bluesky this week, regarding a major-property board game in development. The temptation for many in such situations is to suffer in silence, so I always appreciate it when someone reputable speaks up!
Finally, for a crowdfund campaign that (by way of contrast) has continued to deliver some terrific results, Nathan Long (Orcslayer, Bloodborn) was excited to share that he’s got a story coming up in Issue #9 of New Edge Sword & Sorcery!
Coming Attractions
Here’s a list of the known upcoming releases from the Black Library based on the available preorder information we have. As always, take all of this with a grain of salt unless it’s Games Workshop-confirmed.
This section will be updated weekly in this column, and anything in bold has been added (or updated) this week.
Upcoming but Undated
Throne Questoris, by Victoria Hayward
Cypher: Lord of the Fallen, by John French (Illustrated and Annotated Edition)
Realm of Silence, by Chris Wraight (hardcover and Special Edition)
The Lords of Silence, by Chris Wraight (hardcover)
Herald of the Horned Rat, by Robbie MacNiven (hardcover, Special Edition)
Current PODs in Production
Hive, by Dan Abnett (Special Edition, estimated deliver-by date of 11/26)
Upcoming in 2026
Blood of the Bastion, by Evan Dicken (hardcover, 11/14)
Whisperblade, by Hal Wilson (hardcover, 11/14)
The Flight of the Eisenstein, by James Swallow (Horus Heresy Saga edition and standard hardcover, 11/14)
Galaxy in Flames, by Ben Counter (Horus Heresy Saga edition paperback, 11/14)
Wrath of Terra, by John French (hardcover and Premium Edition, 11/21)
Chem Dog, by Callum Davis (paperback, 12/17)
Ghazghkull Thraka: Warlord of Warlords, by Denny Flowers (paperback, 12/17)
Ashes of the Imperium, by Chris Wraight (paperback, 12/17)
Thanks again for joining me for all the going’s on in the Black Library, and see you next week!
Somewhat less true now than it used to be, another of my free Gen X opinions.
In a very clever and inspired bit of marketing, ten paints just happens to be the amount needed to buy to take advantage of the “Pick n’ Mix Paint Offer,” which is any ten paints for the price of nine. The book makes sure you’re aware of that, so props to the marketing team there.
My all-time favorite comic writer for three decades, for the record.
Congratulations on staking a place in the rankings! Well-deserved and I'm sure it won't be a one-off.