Before I start of this review of Games Workshop's newest Codex, there are a few points that I need to make clear first:

1: If you own or look at this Codex, you might notice a few inconsistencys in terminology between this review and the Codex. This is because I live in germany, game in german, and find that GW's books are a better read in german. Consider: "Terminator Honours" are called "Crux Terminatus" ("Terminator Cross") in german, which in my ears sounds a lot more up to style.

2: I have been playing Warhammer 40K - with breaks - since just before the 2nd edition was released, and am quite comfortable with GW's games. I don't agree with the pricing of the metal minis, and I'm not beyond critising, but I'm not a rabid GW-lover either. Rather, I havn't found anything else that looks as good and is as available. For the record, I used to play Warzone as well.

Now, on with the Review.

OVERVIEW:

Codex: Eye of Terror covers GW's 2003 summer campaign (much like 2000's Codex Armageddon), and introduces four new army lists for Warhammer 40,000. Also included is background to the campaign theme, Abaddon's 13th Black Crusade, and a section on painting and modeling. The artwork and layout of this book are up to GW's (superb) standards, but apart from that, nothing much can be said about it.

SECTION ONE: Background

Pages two to sixteen are information and background. Here, once again, the battle between Horus and the Emperor is described, together with the results for Imperial history. However, we also get details on Abaddon the Despoiler and his "Black Cursades", attacks on the empire that tend to be rather massive (like WWII was a rather massive skirmish) Also included are titbits on Cadia, the Gothic Wars (See Battlefleet Gothic) and the reasons for Ulthwe's participation in this war. This section is capped by a list of forces involved in this conflict. All in all this section was well-written, and rather interesting, especially if you are - like me - a "scholar of imperial history". Of cause, none of this is required for playing, and for details you'd need to read the matching articles in White Dwarf magazine, but for most casual players, this is more than enough.

SECTION TWO: Colour Section

All of the pages 17 to 32 are in full colour, and basically show off the minis and army for the summer campaign. A few hints and tips for painting and modelling are also included, as well as a (sort of) map of the Eye of Terror and surrounding systems. This section is nice to look at, and I suppose that some people might find it helpful, but all in all I'd say this is the least useful section of the book.

SECTION THREE: Army Lists

This section is composed of four army lists designed for Eye of Terror, which I'll discuss here in detail. Each of these Lists requires another Codex to be of full use, and I'll list the "Mother-Codex" as well.

The 13th Company (Codex: Space Wolves and Codex: Space Marines)

The Army described here is the fabled 13th Company of the Space Wolves, who are rumoured to have been sent into the Eye of Terror by Leman Russ himself. Essentially, this new Space Wolves army is a pure close combat monster. The Army is tooled to show that the Marines have had to salvage equipment from the traintor legions, and also include the Wulven, a kind of almost-werewolf. The Army sounds nice at first, but it has some serious balance issues, most glaringly of all is the lack of transport optiowhich any close combat army in 40K should have (unless we're talking about Tyranids...). Okay, the Runeprienst now has a teleport-psipower that allows him to telepot units from one end of the table to the other, but it's a "once-a-round" thing. The tooling towards a close combat army means that you now have less Marines to shoot things with. Also annoying is the fact that Terminators are sorely lacking. In my opinion the weakest army in the book, and according to the Space Wolves in my Group, there is not a chance in Abaddon's A*** that they are going to use it.

Cadian SHocktroops (Codex: Imperial Guard)

All you Imperial Guard typs rejoice: Cadia is here! The Guard list has been fiddled about with here, and the result is quite interesting. First of all, we have the return of sanctioned Psykers, who, like Commissars, are bought 0-5, and do not cost a HQ-selection on the army list. Also, if they fumble on a psi-test, and the unit they're in has a Commissar, you don't have the normal side effect, the Commissar shoots the poor bastard... Another change is that you no longer have snipers as such - you now have sepecial weapons teams as a part of your HQ, with Snipers, assault weapons and explosive charges. Another nice new touch are the Kasrkin squads. You can either buy them as Elite selection (where they function as Stormtroopers from the main Codex) or you can have them from your standard troops, where they use a new profile. Also as standard are a squad or so of the "Weißbleche", Soldiers-in-training (I have no idea what they're called in english, sorry). Cadia also has a new Sentinel, this time with an Autocannon. However, no Cavalry, and no Leman RUss Vanquiser or Exterminator. The Cadia list is completed by the description of a new character for Cadia, Ursarkar E. Creed, the Grand Castellian of Cadia. I'd say that the Cadia list is the one that will see the most use outside of the Eye of Terror campaign, much like the Black Templars from Codex: Armageddon. (However, I am slightly biased, as I've just started putting a Cadia army together...)

The Lost and the Damned (Codex: Chaos Space Marines & Codex Imperial Guard)

The Army for those who like to hunch over their workplace, cackling insanely, while up to their eyebrows in glue. This is the army for all those who like to convert and cut up any kind of figure! The Lost and the Damned is the big cultist-mutant-traitor list all the chaos players have been waiting for. It includes units from the traitor legion, the imperial guard and all kinds of mutants, plauge zombies, and all that kind of stuff. That's really all I can tell you, and all you need to know about this one. A great "theme army", and a good army too. QUite a few of our local chaos players have remarked that they might build up a Lost and the Damned army as addition to their regular Chaos Space Marine army. I know I'm tempted to... Iä, Iä, Suhb-Niggurath! *G*

Shadowstorm of Ulthwe (Codex: Eldar and Codex: Craftworlds)

Okay, this is it. This is the big one, the one every non-Eldar player dreaded. Ever since Codex: Craftworlds was released, Ulthwe has been a nightmare for the rest of us, the ultimate in munchkinism, due to two units: The Black Guard, and the Council of Seers. The Black Guard, the less brutal of the two, consists of maximal two units of Guardians who can shoot as good as Space Marines, can move twice, and is a pain in the a**. The Council of Seers... well, we have here a unit that (in theory) can be unlimited in size, and is a raging pisonic nightmare. So, how does the new Ulthwe compare? Poorly, luckily! The bad news first: now ALL Guardians are of the Black Guard, and so are all Jetbikes, Vypers, Warwalkers and Heavy Weapons Batterys. And the Council of Seers is complimented by the Fist of Khaine, a psionic bodyguard for the Avatar. Also, the Eldar now have a portable dimensional gate as equipment option. Now the good news: a Shadowstorm may not include any vehicles larger than a Vyper Jetbike. Also, you may now have only ONE squad of aspect Warriors, not including the Grim Reapers, who are without restriction. Oh, and no Phantomlord. With other words, Ulthwe has been castrated badly. it's a nice theme army, with quick, hard surgical strikes as theme, but it's badly underpowered, and I can't see it holding out for long against any of the heavy hitters, like the Tau (who have the same mobility, AND heavyer firepower) or the Space Marines. As one of the local ELdar players remarked, ther isn't much chance of seeing this one outside of Eye of Terror, but as a campaign army it has potential.

SUMMARY AND COMPARISON:

This Codex is most valuable for players of the Summer Camapaign, of cause. But apart from that? Well, it depends. I'd say that if you are not planning on joining Eye of Terror, then it's only really an option for Guard and Chaos players. Unless you are a masocist, keep away from the 13th Company and Shadowstorm options. So how does Eye of Terror compare to the last such Codex, Armageddon? Actually very good! Just on production values, Armageddon was nowhere near as nice, and was one of those slim thin stapled books, which was not really worth the cash. And from play value, well, the only army from Armageddon that is really in play much anymore are the Black Templars Space Marines, everything else seems to have died out. I#d say that in the long run, Eye of Terror has the greater chance at holding loyaltys, but only time will tell.

Thank you for reading all this mess, and sorry about the spelling,

-The Allamistako

P.S:Yes I know the review is ugly. Sue me.