The time has come. Vigilus will fall and the Black Legion of Warhammer 40,000 are descending upon the Imperium led by the one and only Abaddon The Despoiler.

This new version of the character by Games Workshop is packed with awesomeness, at least I think so. The armour and accessories haven't been made overly technical and a lot more effort seems to have gone into making him feel dynamic and fearsome. I particularly like how the sword has come out and that flowing (if tattered) cloak.

Despoiler Design Chat

The team who designed Abaddon dropped more details on the process in a video you can watch below.

It's nice to get these insights into how a miniature came to life, especially something as iconic as Abaddon.

Old Hatreds, New Designs

As well as Abaddon we're also getting a new plastic kit of Chaos Space Marines who can now go toe-to-toe with the Loyalist dogs following the corpse Emperor sat upon his archaic throne.

There have been plenty of tiny tweaks to the kit here making it a match for all of those new Primaris models your friends got. All of the miniatures from this set can actually be combined and bashed together with the existing Chaos Space Marine kit in order to create miniatures which bridge the gap between the old and the new.

For someone coming to the world of Warhammer 40,000 things are great because you can just pick up the Shadowspear box and some of the associated extras like these fellows. But, for those who have already got heaving armies of Traitors on the tabletop, it's nice to have the options to mix and match.

Considering how long many of these traitors have been around it also makes sense to have some of the older armour designs mixed in with these.

Focused Hellish Forces

As well as the new Chaos Space Marines we're also getting a new terrain piece for psykers to draw from. Check out the Noctilith Crown.

This monstrous structure would not only look good on the tabletop as a terrain piece but it also comes with rules for use in Warhammer 40,000 too. Not only does it offer an invulnerable save to soldiers nearby but it boosts psykers, allowing them to tap into the warp with greater ease.

A little lore nugget concerning this too. This is made out of Blackstone (yes, that Blackstone) and is an example of what the traitor forces can do if they get their hands on the material, using it to closely attune with the warp.

New Books

As well as the miniatures we are of course getting some new books. The first of these is the Chaos Space Marine Codex, updated since 2017 with lots of tweaks, datasheets, psychic powers, and Chapter Approved points changes.

The team at Games Workshop did stress that if you already have that previous 2017 Chaos Space Marine Codex you can just buy Vigilus Ablaze and then download the updated Datasheets for Shadowspear (for free) and be ready to go.

If you're starting out new then, of course, you're going to need this book to use all of your models.

I just mentioned Vigilus Ablaze too, the next chapter in the fortunes and folly of this beleaguered planet in the Warhammer 40,000 world.

New rules, additional scenarios and of course the conclusion to this epic saga find their way into this book. You'll be able to find out what happens in this struggle between the Imperium and the forces of Chaos.

Will you be able to hold back the tide and save the planet from being turned to ash or will the forces of Chaos reign over this burnt ruin?

It's really neat to see Games Workshop continuing to push the narrative forward with Vigilus as the starting point. Hopefully, we'll see something extra special happen after this.

Will you be starting a new Chaos Space Marine force?