On the Table #40
Oct 20, 2026
Christmas is coming to the 40K shelves, the Tomb Kings get their skeleton army, and Essen opens its doors this week. Here's what's on the table.
Seven Christmas Battleforces For Warhammer 40,000
Games Workshop has revealed this year's festive Battleforce boxes, and the lineup is bigger than usual.
Seven boxes were announced, each built around a handful of characters plus a solid core of troops. No prices or release dates are known yet, only "pre-order soon". Rumours also suggest that several other factions could be missing from shelves this Christmas, but that is unconfirmed for now.
- Space Marines: Indomitus Task Force
- Blood Angels: Angelus Assault Force
- Space Wolves: Champions of Fenris
- Chaos Space Marines: Cult of Destruction
- Chaos Knights: Helhunt Lance
- Orks: Armoured Blitzmob
- Necrons: Disciples of the Nekrosor
Whichever box ends up under your tree, it will need a safe home afterwards. Our trays are available for Space Marines, Blood Angels and Space Wolves, Chaos Space Marines, Chaos Knights, Orks and Necrons.
The Tomb Kings Raise Their Skeleton Army
Following the skeleton horsemen from last issue, The Old World gets the infantry and chariots to match.
The Host of Nehekhara Army Reinforcement Set is a big one: 36 Skeleton Warriors, 36 Skeleton Archers and six Skeleton Chariots, 78 miniatures in total. It is only available while stocks last. Alongside it come a Tomb Kings dice and card set and the Arcane Journal "The River of Bones", with new Armies of Infamy for Tomb Kings and Wood Elves. Reportedly the set arrives on 7 November.
- 36 Skeleton Warriors, 36 Skeleton Archers, 6 Skeleton Chariots
- 20 bone-white dice and 54 reference cards
- Arcane Journal with Armies of Infamy and Gargantuan Treemen rules for Wood Elves
Seventy-eight skeletons need some room to rest. Take a look at our Tomb Kings of Khemri trays.
A Busy Weekend On The 40K Tournament Circuit
Orks, Grey Knights and Necrons all took home trophies this weekend.
Damien Cooper won the Alba GT in Hungary (99 players) with Orks and a perfect 5-0. Ben Greenlay took Bloodshed Bay Two in Ontario (77 players) with Grey Knights, and Matt Bell won That 6++ GT South (74 players) with Necrons. On the team side, the Italian Team National Championship drew 264 players, and at the Scottish Open Team Championship (140 players) Stat Check beat Black Crow Gaming 100-0 in the final.
In the meta, one analysis puts Deathwatch-flavoured Marines at a 69% win rate and calls them a problem for the current meta, while World Eaters had the best event results after changes to the Berzerker Warband. Games Workshop also revealed four Lords of War for the upcoming Grand Narrative event.
Heading to your next event? Our magnetic cases keep your army organised and safe on the road.
SPIEL Essen Kicks Off This Week
Germany's biggest board game fair runs from 22 to 25 October, and tickets are going fast.
Friday and Saturday are sold out, Thursday has very few tickets left and Sunday is around 75% sold. The Fairplay "A la Carte" award will be presented on 22 October, with dnup (Asmodee), Moon Colony Bloodbath (alea/Ravensburger) and Take Time (Libellud/Asmodee) nominated. Essen also hosts Europe's Golden Daemon painting competition, and the Similo BATMAN edition from Horrible Guild will be on show.
If you are going, have fun, and tell us what you discover.
The Crowdfunding Calendar: Big Boxes Incoming
Four Gamefound campaigns launch on 20 and 21 October, while several big names are still running.
According to Brettspielbox, Dungeons of Tanares, Grimdark Future: Jade & Claw and Ordinary Magic start on 20 October, followed by Arkham Horror Remastered: Vault Series on 21 October. Already running are Satisfactory: The Board Game (about €1.6M at launch), The Lord of the Rings: The King's Gambit (over €1.9M) and Nemesis: Legacy (over €6M). An Infamous Traffic 2nd Edition on Kickstarter has reached roughly €510k and ends on 30 October. These figures are not independently verified.
Big crowdfunded boxes mean a lot of components. Find the right organizer or foam insert for your board games here.
On Our Radar
Battlefields: Armageddon. Games Workshop's first ready-painted terrain for 40K is up for pre-order, with pieces for a full-sized game, terrain footprints and folding game boards. The reaction has been mixed: one outlet reports a price of around $400 and calls it a flop, so we will see how it develops.
40K Commander decks return. Wizards of the Coast confirmed a small reprint of the four Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks from 2022 (Imperium, Chaos, Necrons, Tyranids). No date or quantities have been announced.
Industry notes. Hasbro extended its licensing deal with Renegade Game Studios (Heroscape, Axis & Allies, Lords of Waterdeep) through 2027 and beyond. Meanwhile, the D&D and Magic teams at Wizards of the Coast announced plans to unionize.
Got a favorite from this week's news? Let us know in the comments.
Have a fun week!
Heiko
