So those rumors about a new Black Templars Ancient and Warhammer Day model were right after all; here’s why.
There has been a lot of talk lately about what rumors are true, the difference between leaks and rumors, etc. However, when you take into account what a rumor really is, we would consider this a pretty successful one.
So Those New Black Templar Ancient Rumors Were Right (sort of)
The rumor was that a Black Templar (and not an Emperor’s Champion) was going to be the Warhammer Day mini, and honestly, when you think about it, this is about as close as you can to a rumor without hitting it 100%.
We also had rumors from Valrak via Bolter & Chainsword, which also talked about a new Azrael (along with a Black Templar for Warhammer Day), and since we did get a Black Templar for Warhammer Day, maybe we’ll get Azrael in tenth edition, too!
– Azraël should be redone during the 10th. My guess for the DA supplement.
– He mentioned a new Black Templar for Warhammer Day, but I may have misunderstood.
While Valark didn’t mention an Ancient, many folks may have assumed from the new Black Templar part that it would perhaps be the Ancient model we had heard about a year prior.
Here were the second rumors of the Ancient from Reddit back in 2021.
- Ancient
- Helbrecht
- Grimaldus
- Emperor’s Champion
- Seneschal (Marshall)
- Initiates (6 Marines with Intercessor CC equipment or auto bolt rifles)
- 4 Neophytes (boltguns or chainswords)
This was the list of rumored models for the Black Templars release in 2021, and as you can see, one model is still left out. The Ancient right at the top!
It would have made sense that the model would be the Warhammer Day mini for 2022! The one above was for 2021, so a Space Marine is always a safe bet! But, what would it have looked like?
How about… this?
This art piece from Kev Walker is one of the most iconic out there, and it would make so much sense for them to base the model on it!
However, as we know now, the new Warhammer Day 2022 model turned out to be an Emperor’s Champion and was also based on famous art:
Here’s why we think the rumor was still basically right, and we talked a bit about this before.
First off, it’s a Black Templar based on famous art that, from a distance (like walking through the Nottingham HQ, for instance), could easily be thought to be an Ancient.
Or another thing to consider is like we said above, when you say new Black Templar, everyone assumed the “missing” ancient model.
Perhaps even the originator of the rumor could have seen a mock-up that looked more like an Ancient than the Warhammer Day model around the time of development for the Black Templar release last year.
Another possibility is that whoever did see this model early, just didn’t know that much about Black Templars, and Googled Black Templars art to see what it was, and saw the ancient.
Not everyone has been in the hobby (like Rob Baer) for 30+ years and has a vast knowledge of useless things.
(Editor’s Note: It’s true I know way too many useless things)
It could have even been a specific leak by Games Workshop that slightly twisted the truth to build hype for Warhammer Day.
Either way, keep in mind a rumor really also depends on the source, and not all sources are equal in their knowledge!
So, with all that said, guessing a Warhammer Day mini with the right faction and based on famous artwork, we would call this a win of a rumor!
Rumors Are Not Fact
Rumors are so accelerated in today’s world with things like Reddit, Twitter, and Facebook. They spread and get extrapolated at such a rate that it’s a little hard to keep up with. We hate to see people get super hyped for something that will never come out, and it can actually be quite harmful to the community when people constantly post fake rumors that they don’t source.
As we said, not all rumors are created equal, so here are some things to watch out for.
- “Well, Actually.” Watch for rumors that make other rumor-mongers post shortly after, as those rumors normally seem to be closer to the truth. If someone posts something and no one else ever chimes in, those rumors are probably worth taking with all the salt.
- The Shotgun Effect. Many people are looking to build a following by posting any random thing they see on the internet (or, in the case of one particular website, emailed directly to them). Some people out there do not research the source of rumors and just repost everything they find. This can really damage the hobby as it gets people hyped (or angry) without any research.
- Context: Many clues can be taken from the actual words used in rumors posts themselves. Sometimes even the tone of a singular writer is duplicated across multiple profiles online.
- Leaks Vs. Rumors: This is a big one, a rumor is something unsubstantiated! A leak is actually a picture (or the like), so there is something real to go off. So, if you’re going to trust either, pick a leak.
A Problem With the Source of Most Leaks
There are two major problems with leaks in general that we have seen over the years (and we talked about some above).
First, not everyone is a Loremaster or actually well-versed in the realm of Warhammer in general. So, what’s the big problem with that? Well, this creates huge gaps in what they are seeing and what they are reporting.
Let’s say someone saw the codex for a new army but doesn’t really understand the faction. Here is a simple example: Space Marines painted red are not always Blood Angels.
Sometimes the information leakers tell other people will be terribly diluted and probably inaccurate. I.E., “New Blood Angels are coming,” when in fact, all someone saw was Space Marines painted red.
Often that type of info has tidbits of truth, but overall will turn out more confusing and wrong. Thus mystifying hobbyists and getting people thinking in the totally wrong direction. But that also doesn’t mean we won’t see more Blood Angels soon, there’s just a chance this rumor was based on someone seeing the Space Marine Heroes above.
Next comes the problem with language. Sometimes we’ll see leaks from other countries, and people try to just directly translate into English (or whatever language they speak natively). This has a similar problem to the people who don’t really know what they are looking at. The translations are often wrong and spread misinformation once again.
Accuracy is only as good as the person’s familiarity with the content and native language. Not everyone is a loremaster/rules expert and can accurately describe what they have seen/read. But… as we said, if a rumor ends up being on the right track and really close, we call that a win!
How do you feel about these Black Templars Ancient rumors getting almost everything right?
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
