Weekly Waffle #429 – The Dog That Bites First
1st August 2026
The Mojo
I’m trying to use this week’s weekly waffle to get back to a more normal type of service. Although this week has been anything but normal. I’ve spent the first half of the week driving around the UK following a currier as we migrate work date from one data centre to another. Not a very productive week but it gives you lots of time to think about new projects. Although considering how behind I am with my existing projects I’m not sure that is a good idea.
But even with all of this travel I have still managed to get some hobby time in so I have more normal update for you this week. Which I hope you like and goes some way to making up for missing those other updates.
On The Work Bench
So on the workbench this week we started with a failure of mojo but ended up with something I’m really looking forward to sharing with you.
Let’s start with the failure and that is what I’m considering now to be cursed box of minis. I really wanted to finish off the Ottoman Privateers for Carnivali this week. There are only the archers left to finish and I had good intentions to get them finished. But the mojo just wasn’t there. I really don’t know why because I love the game and I really like the minis. So I don’t know what is going on with me and these guys.
I made a little bit of progress so they are probably about 70% complete now but I just can’t get them over the line. So not wanting to loose all my hobby time procrastinating with them I decided to switch things up and go down a different route.
Something I didn’t share with you last week was that the Space Wolf Kill Team also incudes a Fenrisian Wolf. It’s just that I did’t share the pictures of the ones I have picked up to complete the kill team. So I thought it would be nice to give them a go, mainly to try and figure out if the bases would work how thought they would. As it turns out they didn’t look quite how I envisioned them but really like how they do look. And I have really enjoyed painting wolves.
There is nothing fancy about what I have done here. The bases are just a few different shades of grey that have been dry brushed over a base of cork and texture paint. I put some darker wash into the recess and overhangs to add a bit of depth. But all in all it’s just really quick and simple base.
To give it that winter feel, which I think all Space Wolves need, even though they would fight in all manor of conditions, I just added some snow effect. AK Snow to be precise, which gives some contrasting colour and breaks up the grey nicely. I didn’t go mad with this and just added it to the areas I thought it might build up with a bit of wind.
For the wolves themselves I’ve gone with a brown fur rather than grey to make them stand out from the marines. I’ve tried to use slightly different shades for the belly and legs where the fur isn’t as thick. Then it was just a a case of adding highlights where I thought they were needed until I felt happy with the result.
A little bit of black on the noise, eyes and the pads on their paws added a little extra detail. Then finished off with some crimson for the mouth and ivory for the teeth. All in all I’m really happy with how they have turned out but what to you think.
(Gallery here)
Tactical deep dive
There’s a very particular sound that goes round a Kill Team table the moment someone announces they’re charging in the Strategy phase. It’s not quite a groan, it’s not quite a laugh, it’s somewhere in between the two, usually followed by “wait, you can do that now?” Yes. Yes they can. Because the culprit isn’t even a Space Marine. It’s a dog. Welcome to the Weekly Waffle, and welcome to the Fenrisian Wolf.
Who’s a Good Boy, Then
If you’ve picked up a Wolf Scouts Kill Team box, you’ll know the Fenrisian Wolf is the odd one out on the sprue, and not just because he’s got four legs instead of two. Sitting on his own faintly ridiculous 60x35mm oval base, he’s the only compulsory operative in the entire team. You can leave your Pack Leader at home if you fancy, you can skip the Fangbearer, but the Wolf comes along whether you like it or not. Given how the Space Wolves treat these animals, that tracks. Fenrisian Wolves aren’t pets in the soft, lead-and-a-tin-of-food sense. They’re bonded hunting companions, raised alongside the Chapter’s warriors from birth and treated as pack, not property. For a Chapter that leans so heavily into the “warriors of the frozen wild” aesthetic, it would honestly be a bit odd if they didn’t bring one along.
The Business End
Right, lore’s lovely, but you’re here for the sharp bits. The Wolf runs a 2APL, an 8″ move, a 5+ save and 9 wounds, so straight away you can see he’s not built like his two-legged squad mates. Space Marines soak damage. The Wolf doesn’t, not really, and if you send him in expecting a Terminator’s resilience you’re going to be picking him up off the table early doors.
What he lacks in armour he makes up for in teeth. His Fangs swing 5 attack dice, hitting on 3+, doing 4/5 damage with Rending, which is a genuinely Marine-tier melee profile wrapped in a much squishier package. That’s the trade-off in a nutshell: glass jaw, but a proper bite.
The bit that actually makes people sit up, though, is his Instinctive Predator rule. The Wolf can Charge while still holding a Conceal order, which already lets him get the drop on someone who thinks they’re safely tucked out of sight. Then there’s the ability that got Wolf Scouts noticed the moment the rules dropped: he can Charge in the Strategy phase, before activations have even started. Your opponent hasn’t moved a model yet and they’ve already lost one to a set of jaws. It’s a properly nasty first-turn tempo swing, and it’s the reason experienced players will tell you to plan your opening moves around where that Wolf can reach, not the other way round.
He’s not without limits, mind. Instinctive Predator restricts him to Charge, Dash, Fall Back, Fight or Reposition, so he can’t open doors, plant charges or do any of the mission-critical fiddly stuff his squad mates get up to. He’s a hunter, not a technician, and the game makes sure you remember that. He’s also got a once-per-game Pounce, letting him pull off a Charge, Fall Back or Reposition on top of his normal activation, which is your emergency “get him out of trouble, or get him into more of it” button.
Playing Him On the Table
The mistake newer players make is treating the Wolf like a durable frontline brawler because, well, he’s a big armoured murder-dog and that’s what big armoured murder-dogs are for in most games. Resist that urge. Nine wounds and a 5+ save evaporate fast against anything with a half-decent gun, so he wants to be picking his moment rather than soaking fire on the approach.
Where he earns his keep is in that opening Strategy phase charge. Use him to punch a hole in an overextended enemy, force a bad trade, or simply remove the model your opponent was relying on to hold a lane, all before they’ve had a chance to react. After that, he’s there to mop up, threaten objectives your opponent doesn’t want to contest, and generally make himself a nuisance that has to be dealt with immediately or ignored at their peril.
Over to You
Have you had the pleasure of the Fenrisian Wolf ruining someone’s opening turn yet, or are you still working out how to fend the thing off? Let us know in the comments, and if you’ve had a particularly memorable moment with him at the table, we’d love to hear it.
The Wrap Up
And that’s a warp for this week. I’m really sure what I will have for you next week. I really want to finish off the archers but I have no idea if I’ll have the mojo for that. But regardless what happens I will be back to normal next week so pop round for a brew and catch up.
Until then stay safe and I hope all your hobby projects are a sucess.
