After several issues of paint, this time we get a big model. We also get another wave of gaming materials bits, to further enable playing a full-scale game of Combat Patrol. Issue #15, which retails for $15, is a pretty fantastic issue after a couple of weaker issues.  This one is going to be a brief review, as this weekend is the Goonhammer Open and I have been working hard on building a bunch of clouds for the Narrative.  This nixed a bunch of my hobby time in general, but now I know how to make sky bases.

Thanks once again to Hachette and Goonhammer for the opportunity to review these models and materials.

Also of note: It appears I skipped Issue #13 because I have been running across like a Dreadnought with its’ head cut off throughout June.  We’ll get to that one next week, since it was the one that introduced abilities like “Fights First” and “Veil of Time”.

Let’s dive into Issue #15.

Hobby Materials

This issue gives us the Psychophage. This is a big ol’ bug, with many more expanses of “open space” than the other bugs in this Combat Patrol so far. When I got the issue, I couldn’t help myself and immediately put the model together. However, owing to other hobby commitments and wanting to cuddle with my puppy before the Goonhammer Open, I was only able to get the model primed.

Narrative Materials

The issue starts with a story featuring the more recent models, and thusly we have a new viewpoint character this time around. His name is Calchas, and he is an Ultramarines Terminator Librarian. He and his buddy Pholos, a regular Terminator, are hunting the Psychophage. You see, the Psychophage had eaten a bunch of Astra Militarum psykers, and so they need to kill it. Unfortunately, they completely miss the gigant monster sneaking up on them and it blows killing smog over the Terminator Squad. One Terminator dies, but luckily the Librarian can figure his way out of this mess. Calchas unleashes his psychic might against the Psychophage, and goes to kill it with his axe. However, the Psychophage is faster and tries to eat him. Luckily, Calchas’ brother Pholos can move at the speed of plot and kills the Psychophage with his power fist.

This story is not bad, because while it is about brand new characters there actually is a little bit to their characterizations: They actually do trust and like one another, and can set traps alongside each other.

We then get the opportunity to name our new Psychophage. Rolling on Issue #2’s Tyranid name generator, we get the Unseen Horror. Any victims caught in the Unseen Horror’s psychoclastic ash are haunted by nightmarish visions of dead psykers.

Gaming Materials

This issue brings us a bunch of new gaming materials. The issue has punch-out datacards for the Psychophage, the Parasite of Motrex, and the Primaris Chaplain on Bike, cards with the various enhancements for the Marines and the Winged Tyranid Prime, and additional terrain cards. These cards are based on the scatter terrain from such kits as the Munitorum Cargo Containers. Accordingly, Issue #15 discusses cover, including the Benefit of Cover and Ignores Cover. The magazine then shows off various examples as to how cover works.

The magazine then turns to how infantry moves or flies through terrain. The scatter terrain is deemed to be 3 inches, because that’s roughly what it is in real life.

The gaming scenario here is Scenario 11: Battle Lines. While the Tyranid and Space Marine deployment zones are empty of terrain, the eight middle rectangles all have terrain cards. The Tyranid terrain cards are on the sides, while the L-Shaped Ruin cards go in the middle. It’s 10 Termagants, 3 Von Ryan’s Leapers, and 1 Tyranid Prime versus 5 Infernus Marines, 5 Terminators, and 1 Librarian in Terminator Armour. In this mission Space Marines can deep strike everything, while only the Tyranid Prime can deep strike for the ‘Nids. The Tyranids go first.

Final Verdict

This issue retails for $14.99. The Psychophage sells from GW for $60.00. So you’re getting a really awesome and fun bug monster for one fourth the price. This is the best deal from Combat Patrol since Issue #2, in which we got a completely free unit. I am looking forward to painting up my Psychophage after the Goonhammer Open. Which, as of the time of this writing, I still need to pack for.

Until next time, Combat Patrolers!

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