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The Adepticon 2024 Warhammer reveal show was last night, and it was a hot mess. There was some very cool stuff, and there was some very mediocre stuff, and all of it was wrapped up in a bundle of a ton of unnecessary talking. Overall review: Not Enough Models, Please Shut Up.

I don’t know what they were thinking, because the most recent reveal show seemed to be just reveal after reveal, but this was just a handful of models and a TON of filler. MAYBE, if you play a certain game like Warcry or Underworlds, then those ten minutes devoted to lore and rules were valuable, but Games Workshop has to know that most people don’t play every game. And when the games that you don’t play come up, you tune out.

Anyway. Let’s talk about what was there.

Chaos Space Marines

They revealed the new Chaos Lord and Chaos Lord with Jump Pack. Everyone had been expecting Chaos Space Marines, and there had been a lot of speculation about Emperor’s Children getting a big release, so this was a big sad trombone womp womp. Seriously, this was not the way to start a reveal show, unless their intent was to get the boring stuff out of the way first. Nothing in either of these models is really standout, and neither of them looks particularly new and different.

There also was a lot of film showing previously released Chaos Space Marine kits, and everyone–at least where I was watching–was wondering why on earth the Adepticon reveal show was not revealing anything. It was, on the whole, really dumb.

I rate the Chaos Space Marines Lords: Not Interested At All

Warcry Briar and Bone

Fortunately they followed up with Warcry, and while I don’t love everything about Warcry, they routinely have some of the best models. And this was no exception, to the point where I might just buy myself a third Warcry starter box.

The Ossiarch Bone Reapers got the Teratic Cohorts, some cyclopean warriors that are everything good about the Bone Boys. I have long loved the Ossiarch Bone Reapers, just from a lore and model perspective, but I have a storied history of being unable to paint them very well. I don’t know what the hang up is for me, but I really struggle to paint these fiddly little guys. Still, I’m 90% sure that I’m going to try yet again to paint more of them because these are great. (Starting Warcry is on my 2024 Ovelist, and so far this year I have only put together and painted one warband–the Gorgers.)

The second Warcry warband revealed was the Twistweald, a kind of infected mutant Sylvaneth. And I’m on record saying how much I really like the Sylvaneth, too, and these are some really amazing models. So, that clinches it, I’m getting the box.

(I don’t care about the scenery. I have no interest in the big maw things–I still haven’t put together the maw from The Hunters and the Hunted. But still, cool new box.)

Warhammer Underworlds Wintermaw

More maws!

Underworlds, like Warcry, is a game that I am not interested in but that has some of the very best models. In fact, I think that Underworlds is the pinnacle of this: the very best models and the least interesting game.

To start with we got the Brethren of the Bolt, some humans (in a sense) who have been struck by lightning that may or may not have come from Sigmar. These are some really stellar, unhinged models. They are full of a charge so that when they zap you with a taser, you get a blast of lightning. And these people look severely mentally deranged. Lightning hasn’t been good to them. I love them.

The second awesome warband for Underworlds is the Skinnerkin, who are Flesh-Eater Courts ghouls who think that they are chefs. I love the whole concept of the Flesh-Eater Courts, and I love how much the recent reveals have leaned into their delusional lore. These guys are good, but not amazing. I love them, but no enough to get me to buy the box.

So, overall, I love these Underworlds models, but unless I see some cheap Brethren of the Bolt on eBay, I don’t see myself buying them.

Abraxia, Spear of the Everchosen, upon Ghyran

Hands down the best model of the night goes to Abraxia, Spear of the Everchosen, upon Ghyran. I don’t really love Chaos Undivided, or particularly love Archaon, but this second-in-command model is beautiful. It is a creature that seems wholly new, wild, and brutal. I love the scaly body, the beak-like face, the horns, and the tail. The armor is the weakest part of the model, but that’s just because it’s flat plates covering up a really cool-looking model.

Will I buy this model? I just might, just to paint. I really love the look of the Varanguard as well, and this is the Varanguard of the Varanguard. I don’t have ANY interest in starting a Chaos AoS army but this model is really, really terrific.

Kill Team Yaegirs and Genestealer Cults

The next thing that we saw was something that hits all the right notes for me, because it’s not just Kill Team–which produces some of the best miniatures–but it is also my two favorite Warhammer 40k factions, the Leagues of Votann and the Genestealer Cults.

The Genestealer Cults aren’t particularly interesting in this incarnation. They’re cool, but not amazing. But the Leagues of Votann–the Yaegirs–look amazing. This brings back the working class attitude of the Squats in a big way, and I think they look amazing.

That said, will I buy the boxed set? Probably not. I’ll probably just wait for the Yaegirs to come out alone, because I am so sick of the stupid Kill Team terrain, and paying extra for this stuff seems like a waste.

The Horus Heresy Teaser

This can only be the Mechanicum, I think? I’ve heard people saying that this is pointing to Knights, but I think we’ve been waiting for the Horus Heresy to have Mechanicum for a long time and with the recent expansion into the Solar Auxilia I think that branching out into another faction makes sense. Time will tell.

The Old World Dwarfs

I still am in the camp of thinking that The Old World is going to be a niche of a niche, and the fact that Games Workshop is hardly selling anything for it is a sign that they’re not in it for the long haul. There are some cool new models for it. The Shieldbearers carrying a Dwarf Lord is cool, and Dwarves themselves are cool. If I was going to start ANY Old World army it would probably be Dwarves–and I think a lot of that is because the models (in the main) don’t look dated. Yes, there are a few old ones in there, but most of the line of ranged and melee all look great.

That said, no one I play with has invested in The Old World, and I’m not ready to plunk down the enormous chunk of change to make TWO armies to be a game advocate for it. I also still don’t like Rank-and-Flank games. This one is not for me.

Necromunda Teaser

I don’t know what to think about Necromunda, and I think that’s a good thing. The thing I love best about Necromunda is that they always release just bonkers things that come out of left field. The first time I saw this trailer the green threw me off and I thought we were going to be getting some new terrain to play in similar to the Ash Wastes but more Death Worlds, but having rewatched it I think that’s just lighting and not actual greenery. I honestly don’t have a clue what to predict about Necromunda, and even if I did, who knows if I’m going to play with it. No idea!

Age of Sigmar 4th Edition

This was what everyone was waiting for, and we got a really terrific trailer for it. Not as good as the Horus Heresy trailer–that was epic–but this one was still great. And, to no one’s surprise but to everyone’s relief the bad guys are going to be Skaven. And this is great because it ensures that I am going to be picking up this box. I mean, I would anyway because I want to play the new edition of Age of Sigmar, but I love me some Skaven. And seeing what Games Workshop does with a full range refresh of a range that is 25 years old is going to be impressive. At least, I hope.

They said that this is going to be the first “ground up” revision of the game, which is something that I am welcoming. They also are launching a new Spearhead version of the game, which seems extremely reminiscent of Warhammer 40k’s Combat Patrols: an easy way to get into the game without needing to do a lot of listbuilding. I like that.

Can I say one thing, though? Age of Sigmar is a far more enjoyable game to play than Warhammer 40k, but the lore is so stupid. I love everything in 40k from the Age of Strife to the Eye of Terror, but for the life of me I can’t understand a single thing that happens in Age of Sigmar. The Dawnbringer Crusades make my eyes glaze over. I just think the setting is so dumb. Love the factions, but hate the Mortal Realms.

And that’s it! Those are my thoughts on the Adepticon Warhammer Reveal Show of 2024. I seriously hope they learn from this show that limited reveals followed by interminable designer interviews is not the path forward.