Looks like Chaos may be getting some sort of an update as GW just confirmed the War of the Spider is happening with a new Fabius Bile!
Hot on the heals of Ragnar and Gazghkull’s big reveal, Warhammer 40k looks to be in for another Psychic Awakening update shortly.
Gama Expo 2020
GAMA is happening from now till Wednesday, March 12th in Reno, Nevada. With nights full of games as well as over 150 booths loaded with hobby and tabletop goodies, this event is already looking solid.
Ragnar & Gazghkull’s New Models Previewed
These two dudes are getting new models and they’re releasing together around Saga of the Beast. Funny enough, they actually “killed’ each other at the same time and were recovered and refitted for war. Yeah, Gazghkull had his head chopped off and Ragnar was turned into Swiss cheese. But at some point, before the lights went out for good, they were saved. GW is really pushing the limits on their plot armor here.
Fabius Bile, The Spider:
Several previews were shown off at the 2020 GAMA trade show, which seems to depict none other than Fabius Bile, aka the Spider:
Last, but not least, we have a very tantalising tease indeed. Just who or what is The Spider?
We’re sure you might have some ideas. If you haven’t guessed it yet, here’s his top assistant as a clue…
If you’re still not convinced this a new Fabius sculpt compare the teaser pics showing his backpack know as the Chirurgeon, Rod of Torment, Xyclos Needler, flayer robes, and instruments to his existing model from the 1990’s below:
But if it is Fabius bile, how does all this fit into the Psychic Awakening faction wise?
Psychic Awakening: War of the Spider
GW has 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.
We saw the port manifest back in Feb, and while War of the Spiders’ 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?
We know there is also another Spider out there in the 40k universe (not to mention the Necron “spyders” that we’re choosing to ignore completely for some reason here), that will have a role 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.
But what does that have to do with Eldar? Besides Fulgrim’s(?) sighting in Psychic Awakening? Well 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 more official previews from Games Workshop!
What do you think of the latest previews for Warhammer 40k? 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: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits In 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
Bio: Virginia restless, miniature painter & cat dad. He blames LEGOs for all this, as there was something about those little-colored blocks that started it all. Spikey Bits started with Rob trying to stay motivated to hobby on his backlog of projects and share his knowledge with others during the early blogging era.
Scale model hobbyist in the 80s, miniature wargamer, and trading card player ever since. He’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy since 5th Edition, but 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 minatures made of both pewter and resin.
