Last Howl of the Wulfen: Mark of the Wulfen removed :'(

One thing that stood out to me from the new codex is the loss of "Mark of the Wulfen"

What is Mark of the Wulfen by the way?

Lore wise...

• imagine a far-in-the-future, enhanced, superhuman being, in heavy armor, then turn him into a werewolf.. I'm not kidding..
• It represents both the best and the worst of the Canis Helix gene of the Space Wolves (a mutation or degeneration as some would say). It makes them stronger but the downside is you can fall to this "curse" and lose yourself forever and become feral or a mindless beast (so they say).

In-game wise...

• It is an upgrade to a single member of  almost any unit or a model in the old codex costing 15pts
• it changes the attack profile of that model to D6+1
• all close combats attacks it does have the rending special rule but can't use any weapon profiles.

Adding this to the Wolf Standard, which is different now, this upgrade increases the potential of a single model to do damage. To me, not only the potential was lost but also the flavor/identity that made the Space Wolves SPACE WOLVES!

Summary:

Advantage of losing it (I'm trying hard to think of some)

• game is faster and more streamlined now and I think this is one of the aims of Games Workshop (GW). Many time I find myself confused over how many attacks I should roll.
• removes the randomness of the attacks
• GW has no models for it anymore I think and other 3rd party companies are making money of it by sculpting and selling their own models. No rules. No profit for those other companies.

Models by GW: It's sad that I don't have them and probably never will have them as they're old and out of production :'(

Model by other companies such as Mythicast. It is a good looking model and I understand why people would want to buy it. I'd buy it if I were able to.

Disadvantage

• no more potentially 9, with possible AP2, attacks on the charge (or counter-charge)
• no more potentially ripping out and destroying light armored vehicles up to AV12
• people actually scratch-built their own models for this! I did some on April of 2014 and now they're just generic Grey Hunters.

And now to present my finest Wulfens (or Wulvens? O.o)!
Yes! They have lore and commendations but they are still a work in progress (I'll update their pics as soon as possible)!

Beoric the Dreadfall

Beoric the Dreadfall

Unlike the other Wulfen of Bran Redmaw's great company, Beoric does not welcome the changes brought to him by the "curse". But once the wulfen overtakes him, only death (his or his enemies) can stop his blind rage. He single-handedly ripped a dreadnought open, pulled the writhing embryo from it's sarcophagus, tore it into two, and threw the carcass to the latter's battle-brothers. He howled in delight after. He never remembers anything afterwards.

Torik Ogrynsbane

Torik Ogrynsbane

He is the youngest to have the mark of the wulfen in the Redmaw's company and it seemed like he sought it all along. Unlike the others, his transition to and mastering the wulfen was second-nature and rare was the need to restrain him after the battle is over. Called the Ogrynsbane, he took on 5 Ogryns, which were the personal bodyguards of Yarrick. He felled two and wounded one before being knocked unconscious by the Yarrick's power klaw.

Koss

Koss

Koss has still to make a distinction for himself. He is the newest Grey Hunter to have the mark and is designated to the pack of the "Patient Killers", an elite and covert group of Grey Hunters handpicked by the Redmaw.














In ending, Mark of the Wulfen will be missed! We could only hope for a supplement for you but as they say "hope is the first step on the road to disappointment". - WLC