Welcome back, Combat Patrolers, to the start of Package #7 from Hachette’s Combat Patrol Magazine. This package and issue is all about those most haughty, spindly, and legendary Aeldari. We get the first half of the Guardian Defender models, as well as a bunch of lore about the Aeldari, their wargear, and why they are better than the Imperium. As always, thank you to Goonhammer and Hachette for the opportunity to review these models, magazines, and materials.
Narrative Materials
As a longtime Space Marine player (with a ton of different Imperial models, from Knights to Dreadnoughts to Guard Tanks), I couldn’t tell you what any of the different Xenos weapons look like. Luckily, issue #23 has a guide to the different weapons of the Aeldari. Combat Patrol’s “Aeldari rock and the Imperium stinks” tone is in full effect, as the issue waxes on about how Aeldari weapons are a “high art” and the Mechanicum’s weapons “look like childish experiments.” As a result “When Aeldari training and discipline is married to their martial technology, few opponents can withstand their deadly attacks.” The issue then show all the weapons of the Aeldari: Shuriken weapons, D-Cannons, Starcannons, Bright Lances, and so forth, and what those weapons actually do. The issue also has a pretty cool piece of artwork of Prince Yriel, who is not currently in production as he is an old Finecast model at the time this review is being written.
The issue also explain the “Paths of the Asuryani,” which is “The Aeldari maintain a strict work/life balance”, or “The Aeldari are supposed to spend all their time on work, practically to the point of perfection,” because, “This allows the devotee a small amount of measured satisfaction – enough to satiate them but not so much that they risk falling into a spiral of self-gratification.” The issue suggests everything has a path.
Rather than discuss the narratively rich and underdeveloped Aeldari Path of Agriculture, the issue explains three paths that have models: Path of the Outcast, Path of the Warrior (and accordingly, Aspect Warriors), and the Path of the Seer. The magazine warns that the Path of the Seer is “the most difficult and dangerous of the Paths”, and that “those who walk it are intimately connected to the Warp and risk death and madness with every step.” According to Goonhammer Seer Council player and expert James “Boon” Kelling, Combat Patrol Magazine’s descriptions reflects the experience of playing Seer Council. Boon would also like to add “It rules”.
We then discuss the Cicatrix Maledictum, or the Great Rift, and what it is. It’s the big tear in the galaxy that formed at the end of 7th Edition 40K and split the Imperium into Sanctus and Nihilus. The issue uses Lord Commander Dante to represent Imperium Nihilus, which are “Huge tracts of Imperial Space that have been rendered all but unreachable”, and Roboute Guilliman who commands the “region…still within reach of the guiding beacon of the Astronomican. It is here Lord Guilliman marshals crusade fleets.” The issue then goes into some of the various campaign books discussing the Great Rift: the first two books of the 7th Edition Gathering Storm, the 8th (and 9th, and 10th) Edition Nachmund Gauntlet Campaign, and the Dark Imperium books. They were fun narratives, but this issue only has a brief overview of those various stories.
Hobby Materials
Issue #23 brings us a squad of the new Aeldari Guardians. Of course, this being a eleven model unit (10 Aeldari and their floating hover platform), the unit is split over two issues. This issue contains the assembly guide for the models, while Issue #24 has the painting guide for the (Saim-Han) models. These Guardians are the only unit in the Combat Patrol from the recent refreshes of the Aeldari range, the others are all 6th/7th edition vintage models. It also contains an Aeldari unit name and epithet generator tables. Because Alice is building and painting the Guardians from this issue (and also plans on a Seer Council detachment), I had her roll up a name and epithet for them. Her unit of Guardians will be Mhaeve’s Dancing Blades.
Gaming Materials
This issue does not have an independent Combat Patrol Scenario, but instead has Combat Patrol Tutorial – Oath of Moment. There, the reader is taken through faction rules and specifically Oath of Moment. The “mission” starts at the top of Turn 2 of “A Clash of Patrols”, in which an Infernus Squad and Terminator Librarian are holding off the Tyranid Combat Patrol. There really is nothing for the reader to do to practice all of these new rules or games, it’s just a ‘Here’s how the turn plays out if the Space Marines have their faction ability” guide.
The Final Verdict
A new box of Aeldari Guardian Defenders goes for about $60 MSRP, and the MSRP of this issue is $15. So just from that standpoint, the issue is a bargain. On top of that, this issue has an Aeldari name generator to name all of our new wonderful toys and the now-standard tone for Combat Patrol’s narrative sections. I do fault the issue for not including an interactive gaming scenario, and instead saying “Space Marines get to pick a target to reroll all hits against.” It seems like this is a rule that should have been discussed earlier in the magazine’s run. It’s still a good value overall, just with some baffling choices on how to use the gaming section.
Until next time, Combat Patrolers!
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