War of the Spider is reportedly on the way this spring, but what if the next 40k Psychic Awakening Book isn’t about the Eldar?
Engine War was discovered before LVO by folks Port Scrying, and now we have Psychic Awakening: War of the Spider (or perhaps a clever code name).
First things first, at the time of writing this, we still have yet to get our hands on The Greater Good and Saga of the Beast. And we still hardly have any clue of what will be in the latter of those books.
Now with that said, GW has also explicitly said that every faction in 40k would have some kind of role to play in Psychic Awakening. It would only make sense that we keep seeing more books drop until every faction is covered.
No official comment yet from GW on War of the Spider, but now that we know about it, we can expect to hear more news and hints about rules soon! Look for this to arrive in April if it follows March’s Saga of the Beast.
Psychic Awakening: War of the Spider
According to this port manifest, there is a new Psychic Awakening book on the way, and while it’s exact contents and factions are still unknown we can make some guesses here.
BoLS posted this image from the inside of Greater Good, which may hint at least one faction involved with this new supplement:
The last time we saw “relic” Eldar armor, we got a whole new run of models from Games Workshop. Way back in 2011, the Doom of Mymeara Imperial Armor book introduced us to the Shadow Spectres Aspect Temple and their Phoenix Lord Irillyth.
Doom of Mymeara 2011 (Out of Print)
The Imperial ice world of Betalis III is under attack from the combined might of three massive Eldar war hosts. Their motivation for attacking this seemingly insignificant planet is unknown, but General Myndoras Odon of the Cadian 6th Armoured Regiment is intent on bringing about the total destruction of these Eldar invaders. Wielding the might of three Imperial Guard regiments and joined by the savage strength of Bran Redmaw’s Great Company and the colossal power of Titans from the Legio Gryphonicus, the Eldar of Craftworld Mymeara, Craftworld Alaitoc and their Corsair allies may soon regret attacking one of the Emperor’s worlds. Imperial Armour Volume 11: The Doom of Mymeara provides a detailed account of the Eldar invasion, as well as background and rules for its protagonists, the Eldar of Craftworlds Mymeara and Alaitoc, their Corsair kin and the forces of the Imperium. Also included are profiles for new special characters, machines of war, and a new Eldar Warrior Aspect squad, the Shadow Spectres.
Remember the very first book in this Psychic Awakening series gave us a new Phoneix Lord, Jain Zar, and the “Fallen” Lord Drazahar models. Plus to add more fuel to the fire, there is currently no known Warp Spider Phoneix Lord.
Warp Spider Models
These Warp Spider models, first released in the early 1990s are definitely due for an update, like Jain Zar, Ghazghkull, and Mephiston before them.
Will we see a new Phoneix Lord in War of The Spider, or is this all just elaborate wish-listing and rumor-mongering? We will know soon enough!
Not Just Eldar in War of the Spider?
It turns out there is another Spider out there in the 40k universe (not to mention the Necron “spyders” that we’re choosing to ignore complete for some reason here), that may have a play in this story too:
According to Lexicanium:
Fabius Bile, originally just Fabius and also known as the Spider and the Primogenitor is a Chaos Space Marine. Prior to the defeat of the Horus Heresy, he was a Lieutenant-Commander and Chief Apothecary of the Emperor’s Children. He is now an infamous mad scientist, specializing in genetic manipulation and the creation of Enhanced Warriors.
I guess those spider-like appendages on his backpack have given rise to a new nickname over the millennia. But what does that have to do with Eldar? Besides Fulgrim’s(?) sighting in Psychic Awakening, there is more on the Emperor’s Children as well:
Emperor’s Children & The Eldar
Fulgrim, or some sort of creature matching the description of the elevated Daemon Primach Fulgrim, lead a traitor host (The Great Cacophony) of ceramite armor against both Guardsmen and Ulthwe Black Guardians in the Blood of the Phoenix book.
This is at least the second time we’ve seen Fulgrim, or a creature matching his description, wantonly slaughtering guardsmen in 8th edition 40k lore:
In Ritual of the Damned, a curious story of cat and mouse is being played out by the Emperor’s Children uncharacteristically not being themselves.
I wonder who or what may be on that Eldar ship, that is far too important to destroy…
Necrons Too?
Don’t forget the Necrons have Spyders (spelled with a “Y”) too. Plus there are whispers of a C’tan of the same name as well…
More to come for sure, but all we can do is speculate at this point unless we get some official previews from Games Workshop!
What do you think about the latest batch of rumors? Who needs a model rework more? Lucius, Fabius, or the Warp Spiders?
Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, and make sure you enter the latest monthly giveaway for FREE today!
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
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About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
