The War for Derek’s Mom’s Dining Table IV has ended and the war between the Imperium and the Necrons there is over. Sighing Remembrancer McLaughlin has taken his crusade and commentary to the Mortal Realms. But a new war dawns, this one fought between many more armies…but smaller armies. Into this particular void stomps I, Contemptor Kevin, to assemble, critique, and commentate! I would like to thank Hachette Partworks and Goonhammer for the opportunity to review these models and materials.
So, in March of 2025 Hachette Partworks began shipping the new Combat Patrol Partworks Magazine in the US. Over the course of the next two years or so, Hachette will release a new issue every week with a unit or two (or hobby materials) from one of nine Combat Patrols, plus one “bonus” unit to the Combat Patrol. There is also a “premium” version which gives the Combat Patrol a second big unit.
In these reviews, I will discuss the content of the magazine: the models/paints/whatever goodies the issue comes with, the gaming materials (i.e. the datasheets, scenarios, and presentation of those rules), and then the lore and story elements of the issue. I’m going to stick with Campbell’s presentation – why mess with what works?
Issue 1
Narrative Materials
This issue starts off with an overview of the universe of Warhammer 40,000. There’s a brief discussion of the three superfactions (Imperium, Chaos, and Xenos), and then a slightly more in-depth look at the Tyranids and Space Marines. There’s also a table to roll for your new Space Marine Terminator Captain and Winged Tyranid Prime. I rolled a 3 for the Captain and a 1 for the Winged Tyranid Prime.
Ultramarines Captain Marius is coldly logical, placing each sword blow with calculated precision as he fights off the visions of pure terror that Speciminne 45’s presence brings.
The Narrative Materials here also bring back one of the more silly grimdark things about Warhammer 40,000: the over-the-top evil “Thoughts for the Day”. The first issue regails us with “Brave are they who know everything, yet fear nothing.” These quotes are definitely part of the charm of 40K for me, and so to include them here was an unexpected and welcome bonus.
Hobby Materials
Issue 1 contains two familiar miniatures: the Winged Hive Tyrant and a Space Marine Terminator Captain, both the models from “Leviathan” and the various 10th Edition Starter Sets. The Winged Hive Tyrant goes together very quickly – I assembled mine in a few minutes at a work conference. These are dependable and solid models, but also models that I suspect a lot of us already have.
Gaming Materials
This issue has the datacard for both the Winged Hive Tyrant and the Terminator Captain. However, the issue asks us to not pay attention to the datacard for now because there is a lot of information. That stated, the issue does an excellent job of explaining how some elements of the datasheet work. Issue 1’s gaming scenario is for the Winged Tyranid Prime and the Terminator Captain to whale on each other at the center of the board. The Winged Tyranid Prime goes first, and then the Terminator Captain fights back. The issue explains how the Hit, Wound, and Save rolls work with graphics showing which dice rolls succeed and which dice rolls fail.
The issue also comes with two other bits of gaming material: a set of 6 generic dice, and a 22 x 30 mat for playing Combat Patrol. The dice are unremarkable, though the dice I rolled seemed predisposed towards rolling 1-3. The mat is fairly nice and probably a good bonus for someone who has yet to buy a box of terrain: It will get you half the board you need, and it has double-sided printing. One side is a generic space prairie, while the other side is an Imperium industrial zone.
Having both a bit of time and the insatiable urge to paint something, I assembled, primed, and painted my Winged Tyranid Prime in the colors of Hive Fleet Behemoth. Since I had painted the Leviathan Space Marine Combat Patrol back in 2023, I decided to have Captain Marius fight Specimen 45.
Specimen 45 swung first. Five of his cruel blows impacted the venerable tactical dreadnought armour worn by the logical Captain. However, though the hit was true, many of those blows were blunted by the angle in which the Captain was struck! The Armour’s Crux Terminatus lent Captain Marius it’s strength, nullifying another blow. However, one strike from Specimen 45 lands, wounding the Captain.
Marius fights back. The noble captain’s precise blows all strike true. The power field refractors of Marius’ Relic Blade hum with activity, energizing the blade to slice through Specimen 45’s carapace multiple times. This proves to be far more than even Specimen 45’s hyperactive physiology can tolerate!
With a brutal blow, Captain Marius slices Specimen 45 in two. He voxes his position to his troops, checks his ammunition, and prepares to fight.. He has fought the Tyranids before, and he knows this victory is only temporary – the beast he has fought is only an appendage of the wider Hive Mind. However, he is ready, and will kill as many Tyranids as it takes to secure victory.
The Captain rolled well, the Winged Tyranid Prime did not. Probably because Specimen 45 went from “on the sprue” to “painted but not fully based” in about 35 hours.
Final Verdict
Issue #1 retails for only $6.99, and contains two big and awesome character models. Even though these two are older models that are selling on eBay for under $20.00 each, that’s still a pretty steep discount. You also get a nifty battlefield mat, six dice, and a nice little intro to Warhammer 40,000. If I had not purchased the Leviathan box set, this would be an amazing deal. However, because I *did* buy that box set (and already have the Space Marine Combat Patrol painted and ready to go), the Terminator Captain here feels redundant.
The lore and gaming materials in this issue are, as previously noted, introductions to the world and gameplay of Warhammer 40,000. I think that the rules are fairly well presented, but that’s the luxury of having not all that many of them.
Issue 2
Narrative Materials
The issue starts off with a description of the Imperium. I have to say that I love it:
“The Imperium does not negotiate and does not surrender. All of Humanity must serve in its endless wars, whether as soldiers in its vast armies or as workers in its industries…the Imperium will only stop when the entire galaxy is in its grasp and its dominance is absolute.”
I wonder who the villains in this setting are.
The issue then veers off into showcasing the Tyranids and their armies, going from initial Vanguard Swarms to Invasion Swarms. This explains how the Tyranids increase their forces from their initial forays onto a planet before the Hive Fleet arrives en mass to conquer and eat it.
Like Issue 1, the Von Ryans Leapers also get a small name and story table generator.
“The Whispering Ones emit haunting crimes that sound like wounded warriors to lure their prey.”
This issue also contains a Tyranid Unit name table, which I shall use to name my burgeoning Tyranid Combat Patrol. These are two six by six tables, in which you roll a d6 twice to select the Adjective for your unit or combat patrol, and the noun for your unit or combat patrol. In this case, my Tyranid Combat Patrol is “The Crawling Tormentors.”
Hobby Materials
This issue comes with a squad of three Von Ryan’s Leapers. I like these guys: they look like crosses between a Tyranid and Cthluhu. They also have very open poses, which is not something that all Tyranid miniatures have. This makes them substantially easier to assemble and paint all at once.
This issue also has the initial “How to Paint Citadel Miniatures” guide, which explains the GW basecoat/shade/highlight scheme. The issue advertises “Painting Guides” and “Technique Guides”, the latter which promises to apply a keyword system (a la Datacards) to painting.
Gaming Materials
This issue has a datasheet for the Von Ryan’s Leapers. The issue explains how to do a melee attack with a unit, having the three Von Ryan’s Leapers attack the Captain. The issue also helpfully explains batch rolling. The Lepers get to hit first, and if the Captain survives he gets to hit back.
When I tried this little scenario, the Leapers got in 12 hits and 9 wounds. The Captain saved 5, but failed to save four. When he hit back, while he made all of his hit rolls, he whiffed all but one of his wound rolls. That was not a good fate for Captain Marius!
If the Captain wins, he kills the Von Ryan’s Lepers and then has Scotty Beam Him Out of there. If the Von Ryan’s Leapers win, they prepare to eat the Captain’s brain but get stopped by the arrival of a squad of Infernus Marines from Issue #3
Final Verdict
Free is free. Von Ryan’s Leapers are pretty cool looking, and a free pack of them is not to be scoffed at! These models take to a “one thick coat” of Contrast pretty easily, if you want a quick painting project or to build an enemy force in order to have a “bad guy” for your hero forces to fight. The Tyranid name generator is also a nice thing to have, especially if you are into Crusade and like to actually name things. But really, the Leapers cost $52 retail and getting them for free *alongside* some fun supplemental material is an amazing deal.
Until next time, Combat Patroleers!
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