Iron Priest Tactics

Space Wolf Iron Priests are the mystical tech marines of the Space Wolves Chapter. They bless the machines, appease the spirits of plasma and flame while converting failed Iron Priest aspirants into servitors and wounded Fenrisian wolves into Cyberwolves.

As with all things Space Wolf, technology and the Iron Priests are surrounded by mysticism and myth. Fortunately, fielding an Iron Priest in a Space Wolves army is far more straightforward!

I can see Iron Priest being overlooked in favour of Wolfguard, Dreadnoughts, Wolf Scouts and Lone Wolves, but this doesn't mean that an Iron Priest doesn't have his uses.

An Iron Priest is essentially a Space Wolf with an extra attack in his profile, but he also comes with Runic armour (2+ save), a servo arm, a bolt pistol or bolter, a Thunder Hammer and frag n' krak grenades. He also has the Battle Smith rule that allows him to repair vehicles. So, considering his equipment, he's not bad for the points. But let's have a look at his wargear options.


OPTIONS
0-4 Cyber Wolves - Awesome units for their points!
0-3 Thrall Servitors - Essentially Guardsmen with powerfists
Heavy Bolter for servitor - Maybe...
Multimelta for servitor - Will he be in range or live long enough to use it?
Plasma Cannon for servitor - Too expensive!
Space Marine Bike - Doesn't pair with his Servitors or Cyberwolves very well
Thunderwolf Mount - Oh hell yes!
Wolftooth Necklace - Handy if you have the points
Wolftail Talisman - If you have 5pts going spare
Saga of the Iron Wolf - If riding in a Land Raider

There are only 2 really good builds for an Iron Priest because he is not an Independant Character, therefore he cannot join units.

Iron Priest 1: 155pts
4 Cyberwolves, Thunderwolf Mount

The Iron Priest build that everyone loves! A unit of 5 Toughness 5 models with plenty of attacks. The only downside is if the Iron Priest fails an armour save. He only has 1 wound, so is instantly removed and all his pet Cyberwolves along with him. But if you can't afford Thunderwolf Cavalry in your game, this is a cheaper alternative.

Iron Priest 2: 155pts
Saga of the Iron Wolf, 3 Thrall Servitors, 4 Cyberwolves

Alternatively, you could have the Iron Priest and his minions embark in a Land Raider Crusader or a Redeemer (I favour the Redeemer) and take the fight to the enemy. This unit has 6 Strength 8 power weapon attacks (10 on the charge) and 12 basic Strength 4 attacks, so it can certainly do a lot of damage. The only downside is that you need a Land Raider to deliver them. On the brightside, with 3 Servitors in tow, the Iron Priest should be able to repair his Land Raider with relative ease!


CONCLUSION
Unlike Tech Marines of regular Space Marine Chapters, Iron Priest are not Independant Characters, so they may not join other squads of Space Wolves.

Just as well really, when Iron Priests are clearly very happy by themselves, surrounded by their creations in the Space Wolves background and in the Space Wolves army list.

Servitors aren't so hot, unless you're charging them en masse (out of a Land Raider) with the Iron Priest and Cyberwolves. That way the Cyberwolves strike first, take the brunt of any retaliation, then the Iron Priest and the Servitors clobber the enemy with their servo arms and thunder hammer. Cyberwolves are fantastic for their points though! Simply surround your Iron Priest with 4 Cyberwolves, mount him on a Thunderwolf and away you go.

The Iron Priest is a great choice in either of these roles, but because of his 1 wound, he is a little bit fragile. The same has to be said of his cybernetic servants who only have a 4+ armour save.

You can create some very characterful units, but taking basic Space Wolves packs led by a Wolf Guard is a much safer, more forgiving and generally more flexible option.

Even so, I'd still like to give these units a go at some point!

But I won't be bothering with the Iron Priest joined by 3 Gun-Servitors when Long Fangs are a far more cost effective choice.

Space Wolves Army Building Weekend

This weekend I have been building my Space Wolves army! December is here and with my social life ground to a halt, so while everyone else is out Christmas shopping, seeing relatives or sorting their life out, I will use the month of December to build a mighty Space Wolves army.

First up is Arjac Rockfist and the Wolf Guard Terminators. Nothing too fancy, I'm just building the basic kits. Arjac was quite difficult because I couldn't get the conversion parts I wanted, so I had to make do with what I had. But I think he turned out pretty well. I had to file down the hair on one of the Wolf Guard Terminator heads to get the right look for him.

Hopefully you can see these, despite them being undercoated black. Got a nice mixture of power sword, wolf claws and chainfists as well as Combi-Weapons to tie in with the Wolf Guard Tactics I wrote a few weeks back.

I haven't used any of the chains, horns, wolf tails or other trinkets that come in this box. They're dripping in necklaces and trophies as it is! I'm gonna have a lot of leftovers once this army is done.

I've also been making Wolf Guard armed with combi-meltas and powerfists to lead my Grey Hunter squads.

Note that I've used the bare Wolf Guard Terminator heads, because they look far more heroic and feral.

The combi-meltas were really easy to make. Just take a bolter and a melta gun, cut off the handles, smooth down the sides and glue them together. If they don't join up so well, melta the join together with some polystyrene cement glue. Once the gun is 100% dry (leave for 3 hours if you must!), you can glue it into the hand of the Space Wolf. Make sure his hand is in the centre of the two guns for a realistic looking grip. His hand is quite chunky, so you can get away with it.

I've also been building a horde of Space Wolves Grey Hunters. I've had to halt this for the time being because I need to get my hands on more bolter arms. I'm not a huge fan of the poses in the new Space Wolves Pack boxed set, so I've been mixing the new Space Wolves box with Space Marine Tactical Squads and even some of the old Space Wolves Grey Hunter boxed sets from my local gaming store. That way all my Grey Hunters can hold bolters instead of waving their arms maniacally. They might look cool, but there's no way they're going to fit in a carry case.

And here's one I made earlier! They're not finished quite yet, as they all need their pack and company markings painted on.

I'm really happy with them, especially when they were quick to paint. It's amazing what some drybrushing and washing can produce. I'll write a Space Wolves painting guide for them soon.

Now I just need to finishing building another Wolf Guard Terminator a Lone Wolf in terminator armour with a storm shield and a Chaos Lord Chainfist (rawr!), then organise all the bits strewn across my living room.

My nose is pouring. I think it's all the glue fumes...

Battlefoam UK

Battlefoam is now available in the UK! Battlefoam are the company behind the Space Hulk foam trays and have an equally impressive range of custom foam trays to ferry your army safely to battle.

Wayland Games (who I buy from) is the exclusive distributor of Battlefoam in the UK.

I'd never heard of Battlefoam until Bell of Lost Souls commented on their custom trays made for a 'popular sci-fi corridor game'.

Caught up in the Space Hulk buzz, I was happy to import from Battlefoam, even if the shipping did cost more than their product.

As someone who used to buy from Figures In Comfort and then moved to KR MultiKase, I was a little worried about buying my foam trays from a company I'd never heard of, but they've been excellent.

I don't think the foam is on par with KR MultiKase, but the custom shapes are what makes Battlefoam a brilliant way to protect your miniatures and pack more of them into a case safely.

Just look at how well thought out this Space Hulk miniatures tray is! Every model fits snugly inside with plenty of padding around them (I only had trouble with 1 Genestealer) and Battlefoam have been kind enough to include a photograph of where each miniature goes. I've taken my Space Hulk set out a hundred times or more and I still need this photo to get all of them back inside the tray safely.

Having experienced the trays from Figures In Comfort which peal apart over time and the pick n' pluck trials of KR MultiKase (which is great once you know what you're doing, but I needed guidance from the manufacturer), I'm more than willing to give Battlefoam a go when it comes to packing up my Space Wolves army.

Battlefoam also make a lot of custom trays that can hold 8 rhinos, 5 drop pods, 3 battle wagons, 36 terminators, you get the idea. As someone who tends to build armies in bulk, then struggles to cram them all neatly into a carry case, this will be fantastic for me.

I've already assembled a horde of Grey Hunters this weekend and with some frantic army building throughout December, I may be placing an order for Battlefoam trays sooner than planned.

In the meantime, I'd better go tidy the house for when the new recruit to the Broxbourne Wargamers Massive arrives for a game of Space Hulk...

How to Make Combi-Weapons

I've been making Combi-Weapons for my Wolfguard Terminators this week. Combi-Weapons for terminators are actually very easy to make!

Simply take the terminator storm bolter, a melta gun or a plasma pistol and start melding the bitz together. You will also need a barrell from a spare bolter or bolt pistol and a little bit of Green Stuff modelling putty.

Combi-Melta
To make a combi-melta, simply chop the barrels off the storm bolter (leaving the stubbing bit of plastic underneath intact. Then cut whatever detail is on the side of the storm boler off, leaving a smooth, clean surface.

Take the melta gun, chop the barrel off, give it a trim where needed and glue it where the right barrel on the storm bolter was. Then carefully cut the fuel tank and the two wires coming out of if, off the side of the melta gun. I tend to gradually force my blade along the side of the melta gun, under the fuel tank and out the other side, then tidy up afterwards. It doesn't have to be a perfect cut. Polestyrene cement glue should melt the plastic to fill any small gaps.

Glue the melta gun fuel tank to the side of the storm bolter than you made nice and smooth.

Finally, cut the barrel (and sight) from a bolt gun or boltpistol, tidy it up and glue it in place where the left barrell on the storm bolter would have been.

And you've go yourself a quick and easy combi-weapon!

Combi-Plasma
The combi-plasma is a little more tricky. For this you need a plasma pistol cut from a space marine's hand. I find that it's best to cut the hand off at the wrist, then line your knife blade up to where the hand lies flat against the underside of the gun, then cut straight through and tidy up where needed to create a smooth, flat surface.

Just like before, to make this combi-weapon you need to chop the barrels off the storm bolter AND cut off the stubbing bit of plastic underneath to make room for the plasma pistol barrel.

Now comes the difficult part.

Because the plasma pistol has details that can't be chopped off and stuck on to the storm bolter, we need to trim down the plasma pistol, cut a section out of the storm bolter and place the trimmed plasma pistol inside, glue it into place and then fill the gap with green stuff and shape it to resemble the stock of the gun.

I used a knife to cut straight down the centre of the gun stock (be careful to leave the magazine intact!). I then cut in, from the side, in line with the point where the magazine meets the stock of the gun. I then cut across from the back of the stock which meets the part where the shell canisters are dispensed.

I was eventually able to cut a rectangle of plastic out of the storm bolter stock for the plasma pistol to fit into...after a bit of trimming.

Take a knife and smooth the left side of a plasma pistol until it's nice and flat, then using polestyrene cement glue, fix it into place. This glue is a godsend because it will melt the plastic together, making this difficult conversion look a whole lot better!

Leave this to dry for at least 3 hours. It's incredibly fragile until its set, so you need to leave it well alone before you do any more work.

You'll notice that there's a gap where the plasma pistol grip would normally go, because you've carved this out of the storm bolter stock. Simply fill it with Green Stuff modelling putter and shape it into a square/rectangle to mimic the overall shape of the storm bolter and help blend the plasma pistol parts into the stock of the combi-weapon.

Finally, take a spare bolt gun or bolt pistol, carefully cut the barrel and sight off in one piece and glue them where the left barrel on the storm bolter should be.


SUMMARY
Hopefully that's been a big help for anyone wanting to give their Terminators combi-weapons. I haven't done a combi-flamer conversion, because it's more cost effective to take one of the other weapons or a Heavy Flamer.

Spiky James Karch Interview

We interview Spiky James Karch -army painter extraordinaire and Space Wolves player!

Spiky James returns to his favourite army from Warhammer 40K second edition and talks us through painting, the hobby and why he's on his 4th Space Wolves army.

Adam: Hi James, thanks for taking time out to do an interview for the Space Wolves blog. Can you tell us how you got into the hobby to begin with?

James: A long time ago in a land far far away...called Scotland...I started looking at the hobby when a couple of mates asked if I wanted to split the cost of a skeleton warriors box. I think I must have read a White Dwarf before that.

I was about 14 at the time and hadn't really looked into the hobby much. Needless to say it wasn't long before I bought my first box of space marines after that.

Adam: So where did the painting talent come from, or was this developed over time?

James: For the most part, it was around 1989, just before GW edinburgh opened it's doors.
the painting is more something that's developed over time, although some of my family rekon I've picked a bit up of the eye for detail from my grandad who built architectural scale models for the local authorities.

Adam: You have this wonderfully clean painting style that's very crisp and very bright. I mean, your Space Wolves leapt out at the GT. How do you achieve this effect?

James: Don't really know, I've always tried to emulate the "eavy metal" style.

Adam: I'd certainly compare you work to Mike McVey when he was with Games Workshop. You both have very similar styles. Was Mike an early inspiration while learning to paint?

James: I think it's more basically a case of trying to be neat, I feel definition is key, something, if I'm honest I don't feel I achieved with last Space Wolves army. Yeah Mike McVey is definatley one of the painters that's influenced my painting style. I really hadn't thought about that until you mentioned it!

Adam: So you're on to your second Space Wolves army now. What is it that you are doing differently?

James: Yeah, starting a new army...I think it's actually my 4th Space wolves army to date, maybe more.

Adam: Is this more of the army you took to the Grand Tournament?

James: For the current army I've lightened the armour and added shading in the recesses. To date i've only completed 2 wolf guard and as we speak I've almost finished the third. It's a completely diffirent army to the one I had at the Grand Tournament and I'm going for a different great company this time.

Adam: Sounds like you're a bit of a perfectionist. So how did you end up painting for Games Workshop on the side?

James: Yeah, sort of. I'm never really 100% happy with what I produce because there's always something I feel could be better. Painting for Games Workshop really came about by chance. I posted a couple of photos of an older ultramarine army I had and got an email from one of the guys on the hobby team, inviting me up for a visit so they could have a closer look at my stuff.

Adam: They must have been impressive for Ultramarines. Then again, it's easy to spot the miniatures you paint for Games Workshop because they're so clean -especially the White Scars. Which miniature have you enjoyed painting the most for Games Workshop?

James: The main stuff I've done has generally been armies and most of them have been my own. I did actually do an army for them that to date hasn't been featured anywhere, I don't think it will either. I really enjoyed painting my red and black marines, I feel they're probably one of the best armies I've done

Adam: I remember those from a few years back. They gave my Deathwing a kicking. What made them so good to paint?

James: Yeah, I remember that now! I just really enjoyed the end result and thought they looked pretty cool all together.

Adam: So what makes the Space Wolves so appealing (for the 4th time)?

James: Don't know really, they were actually my first real complete army in 2nd edition. Before that point I'd just bought random squads, Space Hulk, loads of terminators etc. Currently I really like the way they play and bring alot more fun back into the game, it's what it's all about for me.

Adam: Any exciting conversions you've got lined up? I really liked your Ragnar, especially when he was 100% plastic.

James: Not really, I love the new kits, the dynamism you can build into them is fantastic. I'm aiming to add alot more freehand to the new army, especially the vehicles after being inspired at the Grand Tournament.

Adam: Got any more tournaments lined up?

James: Yeah, quite a few over the next few months. Got Warfare in reading this weekend (1750 Space Wolves) doubles tournament in Oxford with Dave Richardson from spiky (tend to regularly team up for doubles) then another doubles event in Bracknell in Feb and the Grand Tournament finals in march, I'm sure we'll have a few club events over the next few months aswell. It's all making up for not doing alot during the summer!

Adam: Best of luck with the tournaments and thanks very much for talking to us at the Space Wolves blog.

James: No problems, make sure you keep an eye on my project log at The Ammobunker for alot more Space Wolves goodness.

Painting Space Wolves

Hi everyone, I've put together a Space Wolves painting guide to share my personal take on the ever changing Space Wolves paint scheme. Everyone seems to use various shades of grey for their Space Wolves models and I am no exception.

This guide to painting Space Wolves is quite advanced and comprehensive, so please don't be put off by anything, simply have a go at trying out some of the techniques. After all, that's how I learned to paint better.

Best of luck and have fun painting! -Dave (Munky)


Equipment, Materials and Paint.
Paintbrushes ranging from fine to medium
Modeling ballast(use fine and medium mixed for a random effect)
Pva (white) Glue
Games Workshop White Spray Primer
Games Workshop Purity Seal Spray Varnish
Humbrol Matt Spray Varnish
Micro Sol & Micro Set ( for transfer application) Microscale
Magic Wash (for making your own washes) Magic Wash
Baking Soda (for snow)

Foundation Paints
Astronomicon Grey, Fenris Grey, Mechrite Red, Charadon Granite.

Washes
Badab Black, Devlan Mud, Gryphonne Sepia, Ogryn Flesh

Paints

Skull White, Chaos Black, Boltgun Metal, Shining Gold, Burnished Gold, Schorched Brown, Bestial Brown, Graveyard Earth, Snakebite Leather, Blazing Orange, Codex Grey, Dwarf Flesh, Elf Flesh, Bleached Bone.

Stage 1
Once you have assembled your marine, water down some Pva glue and stick some Ballast to the base, once dry give him a quick undercoat with the white spray. I have chosen white undercoat because it helps me see the detail and I want the model to be quite bright when finished.





Stage 2
Once the undercoat is dry we move on to base colours.
The base is painted Charadon Granite, I find that thinning the Foundation paints 1-1 with water or 2-1 with water is sufficient to get the colour on there.

The armour is painted with a 4-1 mix of Astronomicon Grey and Fenris Grey (Fenronomicon Grey), the shoulder pads are painted with a1-1 mix or Red Gore and Mechrite Red (Gorite Red), any metal areas are painted with Boltgun Metal (most GW paints I thin 1-1 with water).

The Brass areas are based with Bestial Brown and then Shining Gold (the brown is a good first coat for the gold which is quite thin).
The fur is based with Schorched Brown and drybrushed with Bestial Brown, Snakebite Leather, Bleached Bone and Skull white working each colour towards a white tip.

The red hair is painted with a 1-1 mix of Graveyard Earth and Blazing Orange, the face is painted 1-1 Dwarf flesh and Elf flesh, bones/skulls are painted Snakebite Leather and any leather straps/pouches are painted Bestial Brown.

Stage 3
We now move onto shading the miniature.
The armour is shaded with a 2-1 mix of Shadow Grey and Schorched Brown mixed with 4-6 drops of magic wash, this is "lined" around the joins between the armour plates and anything touching the armour (include the shoulder pads in this step too).

Metal is washed with Badab Black, brass areas in OgrynFlesh, as well as the skin and hair.
Bones and leather are washed with Devlan Mud also a little Devlan can be used to pick out the mouth and eyes if you like.
The fur is washed Gryphonne Sepia then Ogryn flesh.

Stage 4
Highlighting.
Drybrush the base with Codex Grey, the armour is "edged" with 1-1 Astronomicon Grey and Skull White.

The pads have a small line painted as close to the edge as possible 1-1 Gorite Red and Sunburst Yellow.
Edge the metal with Boltgun Metal and the brass with BurnishedGold.

The hair is brushed with Blazing Orange on the edges and tips, the face is highlighted on the most prominent areas 1-1 Dwarf Flesh and Elf Flesh.
Any leather is edged with Graveyard Earth, and bones are highlighted with 1-1 Snakebite Leather and Bleached Bone then pure Bleached Bone.

Stage 5
On to the final details.
I weather the armour by first applying Chardon Granite in small "chips" on the edges of the armour, this is highlighted with a small line of 1-1 Astronomicon Grey and Skull White.

Then I mix 1-1 Graveyard Earth and Charadon Granite and 8-10 drops of magic wash and apply this in layers over the lower legs from around the knee down(concentrating it around the feet).

The black pack markings are painted on and the transfer applied with the microscale solutions.

I hit the models with a coat of Purity Seal then a final coat of Humbrol matt to get rid of the shine.

Snow
If you want snow on your bases, your can make it using pva glue, baking soda and a little water to get the gloopy consitency right. It's important that you only apply this after the model has been varnished, because varnish yellows slightly with age, and we dont want yellow snow now do we!

Dreadnought Tactics

Dreadnoughts are the fallen heroes of the Space Wolves interred into a new metal form to continue to serve the Emperor even in death. On the battlefield a Dreadnought is a walking tank, adding heavy firepower to the Space Wolves army a a fierce blow in close combat.

However, due to the fast assault orientated nature of the Space Wolves army, a Dreadnought may find itself left behind if not deploying via drop pod or equipped with heavy weaponry to provide long range support while holding a vital position.

So we're going to take at a look at all the options for the Space Wolves Dreadnought and its battlefield roles. As always, we're going to be tight with the points and demand the very best we can get whilst spending as little points as possible! Fortunately, the Space Wolves Dreadnought comes with an assault cannon right arm as standard.

OPTIONS
Replace Storm Bolter with Heavy Flamer - Do it!
Assault Cannon - it's good and it's free!
Twin Linked Heavy Flaner - It's free, but there are better weapons
Multimelta - It's free and it's a short range tank killer
Twin linked Heavy Bolter - I'd rather keep the Assault Cannon
Twin Linked Autocannon - Reasonable range, mid strength and 2 shots. Not bad.
Plasma Cannon - Reasonable range, mid strength, AP2, small blast. Like it.
Twin Linked Lascannon - Long range, high strength, AP2 and reroll to hit. Expensive!
Twin Linked Autocannon (left arm) - great when paired with another twin linked autocannon!
Missile Launcher (left arm) - Versatile, but expensive for a missile launcher.
Extra Armour - A good choice for Dreadnoughts likely to get into close combat with enemy squads.
Wolftooth Necklace - Makes you hit better in close combat, but anything you need to hit better will have a higher initiative and most likely rip the Dreadnought apart before you can strike.
Wolftail Talisman - Not worth it, even for 5pts.
Venerable - It's a lot of points for what it does and it's not going to save you from a close range melta gun. I think those 60pts could be better spent, even if it boosts WS and BS.

The way I see it, there are two types of Dreadnoughts. Those that get in close and make a big mess and those that sit back and shoot.

The classic builds of Dreadnought are:

Dreadnought 1: 105 points
Assault cannon, dreadnought close combat weapon with storm bolter, smoke launchers, search light

The basic Dreadnought without any upgrades. He's cheap, he's cheerful (perhaps even jolly!) and he can emerge from a drop pod or waddle up the field behind some tanks or amongst some infantry.

Dreadnought 2: 145 points
Twin linked lascannon, missile launcher, smoke launchers, search light

The standard long ranged Dreadnought that's proved very popular over the years. The twin linked lascannon takes out the tanks and the Missile Launcher is there if things don't quite go to plan.

I've decided to use these two Dreadnoughts as the basis for balance against my Dreadnought weapon configurations. While there's no denying the cheapness of Dreadnought 1, there's plenty of room for improvement. And while no one can dispute the effectiveness of a twin linked lascannon, Dreadnought 2 is rather expensive, especially when the missile launcher doesn't seem that good. I think that you should be fielding so many melta guns in your Space Wolves army that twin linked lascannons should be the last thing on your shopping list -especially when they cost 30pts!

Dreadnought 3: 115 points
Multimelta, dreadnought close combat weapon with heavy flamer, smoke launchers, search light

Deliver him in a Drop Pod and you've got a close range monster on your hands. He's not quite an Ironclad Dreadnought, but with his Multimelta, he should always leave a vehicle as a smoking wreck, even if his Drop Pod scatters a little and the Heavy Flamer is there to mop up troops.

Dreadnought 4: 125 points
Plasma cannon, dreadnought close combat weapon with heavy flamer, smoke launchers, search light

Designed for holding the line with your troops and tanks, this Dreadnought has the heavy flamer for when the enemy gets too close and a plasma cannon for heavily armoured troops. Plasma cannons are quite rare in the Space Wolves army, so I'd be very tempted to take this Dreadnought.

Dreadnought 5: 125 points
Twin linked autocannon, twin linked autocannon, smoke launchers, search light

Cool factor aside, for the points, this is a good mobile weapons platform that puts out 4 fairly accurate hots at mid to high strength. You may be tempted to swap the second twin linked autocannon for a missile launcher to get a single higher strength hit with lower AP, but it's far less accurate.

You're not going to get any easy kills with this configuration, but you can certainly give enemy transports and anything up to armour 12 a hard time.

CONCLUSION
It's obvious that I think dreadnought 1 could be made better and Dreadnought 2 is too expensive. Dreadnoughts 3, 4 and 5 are the units I would choose to field and I'd ALWAYS upgrade the storm bolter to a heavy flamer whenever possible.

For my in-your-face assault, deploying from a drop pod Dreadnought you can't beat a multimelta and heavy flamer. It's like having an Ironclad, except your guns are bigger. You're a little more vulnerable due to having just armour 12, but when coordinated with other drop podding units, this could be a real kick in the teeth -either to dissuade an opponent from deploying any units on the table or reinforcing as part of a drop pod 2nd wave. If this Dreadnought is firing at a tank up close, that tank is going to die. The same goes for a squishy squad of Orks and anything with an armour save of 4+ or less. Then the Dreadnought needs to hold out for as long as possible and kill as much as he can!

Many people like to run a Dreadnought on foot as part of their slowly advancing line, taking on a mid-field role. For this, I would favour the plasma cannon and a dreadnought close combat weapon with a heavy flamer. The plasma cannon has the strength, range and a small blast, as well as low AP to take on virtually any targets with a great degree of accuracy. Other weapons could be taken instead, like a twin-linked autocannon. But if you're choosing just 1 weapon, the plasma cannon seems to have the best value for your points. It also provides a weapon that's quite rare in the Space Wolves army at a comparatively small cost.

Finally, for added long ranged firepower, a 'rifleman' Dreadnought with a pair of twin linked autocannons provides range, accuracy and mid to high strength shots for wounding infantry, monstrous creatures and causing any vehicle with an armour value of 12 or below some problems. A twin linked autocannon will never match up to the awesome power of a twin linked lascannon, but it is a third of the cost.

But in 5th edition, the real anti-tank gun is the melta gun and your Space Wolves should be carrying plenty of these.

So in conclusion, the only weapons really worth taking on Dreadnoughts should be more multimeltas (if you're leaping straight down your opponent's throat!) or the weapons you have limited access to so you can increase the flexibility of your force. Plasma cannons and autocannons spring to mind.

Note on Extra Armour
Some people swear by extra armour on their vehicles, others don't. While I'm one of those who doesn't, extra armour certainly has its place on a Dreadnought where it not only counts 'Crew Stunned' results as 'Crew Shaken', but in doing so means that you never lose attacks in close combat for being Stunned and can only be hit with grenades in close combat on a 6. However, if a Dreadnought is Stunned or Immobilised, grenades will be attached using the normal Weapon Skill comparison (see page 73 of the rulebook for more).

If you've got the points to spare, extra armour is certainly worth taking on your close-up and mid-field Dreadnoughts. Those who are more economical may choose to run Dreadnoughts without it.

Bjorn The Fell Handed Conversion

Check out my Bjorn the Fell Handed conversion! Hi everyone, my name is David Richardson aka Munky. I've known Adam for just over a year and helped him to paint most of his Tau army.

I've been following his Tau and Space Wolves blogs with great interest, so when he found out I was starting a Space wolves army and possibly a blog too, he kindly asked if I wanted to contribute to the blog you see here.

I am honoured to be a part of this amazing blog, so I shall start with my Bjorn the Fell Handed conversion!

I had bought a Dreadnought kit quite a while ago and decided to 'wolf' it up a bit. Fortunately Games Day was just around the corner, so I picked up the new Space Wolves boxed sets to get all the bitz I needed.

Once I had stopped drooling I started work on the old style marines I had collected and swapped heads and arms etc to give them some "new" flavor, I will show these in their own posts at a later date.

The Assault Cannon I think still needs some work to beef it up a little but I just had to have the new belt fed ammo on it and the wolves head off the new Wolf guard Terminator sprue!

The Dreadnought Close Combat arm took quite some time to get the plasticard claws looking right, I wanted to copy the distinctive curved style of the new Wolf claws.

Other than that I hate Dreadnought legs because they are stumpy and boring so I thought "Storm Shields" and promptly stuck em on.

Bjorn still needs some Green Stuff work to tidy bits up but the general idea is there. Stay tuned for more as I apply the finishing touches and paint him up!

Wolf Guard Tactics

Wolf Guard not only act as bodyguards for Wolf Lords, but also as leaders for Space Wolves packs. Each Wolf Guard has the option to be assigned to a different pack from the Space Wolves army, making this Elite choice a very flexible option.

However, you must take at least 3 Wolf Guard in your army as a minimum requirement and no more than 10 per Elite choice. Wolf Guard represent the personal bodyguard/retinue of your Wolf Lord, so typically, there won't be many of them -especially when the Space Wolves force chart represents troops drawn from a single Great Company.

So we're going to look at Wolf Guard; both as squad leaders and a unit themselves.

OPTIONS
The first thing you'll notice about Wolf Guard is that their equipment is cheaper than everyone elses! Wolf Guard are the heroes of your Space Wolves Great Company, so it's only fitting that they get the best weapons and armour. This also makes them very affordable as squad leaders for your Space Wolf packs, but more on this later.

Boltgun - rubbish!
Storm Bolter - not bad and very cheap
Combi-Weapon - very good considering the points
Plasma Pistol - still not worth it
Power Weapon - Very affordable option.
Wolf Claw - Also very affordable at only 5pts more for rerolls.
Powerfist or Frostblade - Both cheap, both excellent!
Thunder Hammer - a nice upgrade to a powerfist, but not essential.
Chainfist - definitely better than a powerfist and a thunder hammer for killing vehicles.
Storm Shield - a more affordable 3+ invulnerable save
Terminator Armour - 33pt terminators with storm bolter and power weapon? Yes please!
Jump Pack - Wolf Guard cannot join Skyclaw packs, so what's the point? Also expensive.
Space Marine Bike - essential for joining Swiftclaw bike packs
Melta Bombs - take them if leading a squad!
Mark of the Wulfen - The discounted Wolf Claw is more cost effective.

For every five models in the squad, 1 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour may take a heavy weapon:
Heavy Flamer - cheap and very cheerful. Short ranged.
Assault Cannon - You love it! And it's more affordable.
Cyclone Missile Launcher - 2 frag or krak missiles per turn. Also more affordable.

WOLF GUARD SQUADS
If you're going to field actual squads of Wolf Guard in your army, you'll want them in Terminator Armour. Otherwise you're pouring your points into an elite unit that dies just as easily as regular Space Marines.

The best way to equip these squads would be in a similar way to Chaos Space Marine Terminators who often come with power weapons, combi-weapons a single chainfist and often a heavy weapon too.

Chaos Space Marine Terminators come with a twin linked bolter, a power weapon and Leadership 10 for 30pts.

Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour armed with a storm bolter, power weapon, They Shall Know No fear, Acute Senses and the Counter Attack special rules come to 33pts each. That's a lot of extra stuff for just 3pts!

Wolf Guard Terminator Squad: 205pts
2 Wolf Guard in terminator armour with combi-plasma and power sword. 1 Wolf Guard in terminator armour with combi-melta and power sword. 1 Wolf Guard in terminator armour with combi-melta and Chainfist. 1 Wolf Guard in terminator armour with heavy flamer and power sword.

This squad is reasonably cost effective with a focus on anti-armour and anti-tank as well as a heavy flamer for hordes of light infantry. Great to deploy by Drop Pod or from a Land Raider.

The squad costs only 15pts more than a comparable Chaos Terminator squad, but their Counter-Charge special rules give them a distinct advantage should anyone be mad enough to attack them in close combat.

For an extra 5pts, you can give one of them a wolf claw to really max-out your Wound Allocation.

WOLF GUARD PACK LEADERS
When it comes to leading your Space Wolf packs, Wolf Guard are a surprisingly affordable squad leader upgrade.

Remember that their weapons are generally 5pts cheaper and when they themselves cost only 3pts more than a regular Grey Hunter, 3pts is a small price to pay for an extra attack and an extra point of Leadership. The increase in Leadership is almost essential for any Space Wolves pack that will come to rely on the Counter-Charge special rule at some point in a game.

So really, Wolf Guard can be a very cost effective way to achieve a number of otherwise expensive squad upgrades while getting the benefits of another model type for wound allocation, an extra attack and an increase in Leadership.

Wolf Guard 1: 48pts
Combi-Melta, Powerfist, melta bombs

Generally, every squad should have 1 powerfist. So why not save 5pts by giving it to your Wolf Guard? On top of that, you get an extra attack with it because each Wolf Guard has 2 attacks on his profile instead of 1. You also need to buy a combi-weapon if your Space Wolves pack are riding in a transport to make up for the free one you normally get for having 10 men in a squad. Providing you want a 10-man squad of course.

Compared to a Grey Hunter armed with a 'free' melta gun and a powerfist at 40pts, 3pts more (5pts for melta bombs) is a small price to pay for a Wolf Guard with and extra attack in his profile and increased Leadership that benefits the entire squad.

Wolf Guard 2: 53pts
Terminator Armour, Combi-Melta, Chainfist.

For 5pts more, you can upgrade your Wolf Guard to have a suit of terminator armour for better protection and a Chainfist for better anti-tank assault.

Ironically you can have a combi-melta, powerfist and terminator armour for 48pts, but the Wolfguard then takes up 2 slots in a transport and the squad he's with cannot making a Sweeping Advance.

Even so, it's a very close tie between having a Wolf Guard in power armour or a Wolf Guard in terminator armour. Definitely something to play test.

Wolf Guard 3: 83pts
Space Marine Bike, Combi-Melta, Powerfist, Melta Bombs

Building on the great value for points combination already shown for leading Space Wolf squads on foot, but now with a bike. This guy is perfect for leading packs of Swiftclaw Bikers. He's got a Powefist with more attacks and better Weapon Skill than a Blood Claw equivalent and his Combi-Melta is more likely to hit as well.

He's not cheap compared to the Swiftclaw Bikers, but he's a more cost effective leader for them (so they don't end up chasing something they can't hurt for the whole game!) than any of the HQ choices.

Wolf Guard 4: 63pts
Terminator Armour, Heavy Flamer, Chainfist

Wolf Guard 5: 78pts
Terminator Armour, Assault Cannon, Chainfist

Wolf Guard 6: 78pts
Terminator Armour, Storm Bolter, Cyclone Missile Launcher, Chainfist

For every 5 Wolf Guard in your army, 1 may take a Terminator heavy weapon if they are in Terminator Armour. Attaching one of these to your regular Space Wolves packs is a fantastic opportunity. Not only do you get a tough guy in terminator armour leading a squad, but he's got a massive gun as well.

Terminator heavy weapons often come down to personal preference, but I can see lots of people taking the Assault Cannon, especially when the belt-feed model looks fantastically brutal!

Personally, I'm in favour of the Cyclone Missile Launcher, because you get to keep your storm bolter while being able to fire either 2 frag or Krak missiles per turn, making it an all-round more versatile weapon combination for both tanks and troops. It has longer range as well.

Like the earlier Terminator Wolf Guard examples, I'd always give him a Chainfist for clobbering monstrous creatures, ripping apart walkers and cutting through tanks in close combat.

CONCLUSION
Due to their fantastic value for points and cheaper weapon upgrades, I would always take a Wolf Guard to lead my Space Wolves squads. You just get so much more for your points, even if you're stepping on the 'free' special weapon available to a full size Grey Hunter squad.

Wolf Guard are very much a big part of the Space Wolves army character. They're not Space Marine Veteran Sergeants like their stats indicate, they're heroes who have earned their place in the bodyguard of their Wolf Lord! They lead Space Wolves squads by example and their great deeds, which is made all the easier by their cheaper equipment.

Most importantly, they get powerfists cheap and have extra attacks to make the most of them!

Wolf Guard are also cheap terminators, having more in common with Chaos Space Marine Terminators than the regular Space Marine Terminators. So while they miss out on the Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield combo at 40pts (63pts for them), they have access to an abundance of power weapons, wolf claws and combi-weapons. This means they can wipe out an armoured infantry squad or monstrous creature far more quickly than regular Space Marine Terminators.

But whether your Space Wolf packs will be led by a Wolf Guard in terminator armour or a Wolf Guard in power armour is up to you. Both have their own pros and cons.

Space Hulk Genestealers Painted

Time for a quick Space Wolves break as I reveal the Space Hulk Genestealers I've been busy painting!

This comes just as young Jacob from Gamers World has been talking about quick and easy painting methods.

Yes, these guys were quick and easy. It still took me forever to paint them in batches though. Washes do speed up the painting process (or do they?), but the problem with washes is that you must wait for them to dry. Ultimately, this is what held me up.

I think painting all 23 Genestealers (including the Brood Lord) in one big batch was a bad idea. Maybe two batches would have been more manageable.

Those of you still struggling with your Space Hulk sets will probably want to know how I painted these. It's quite simple

How to Paint Space Hulk Genestealers
This is using my simple basecoat, drybrush and wash method which gets nice, clean results and speeds up painting.

I sprayed them Chaos Black, got a big Tank Brush and painted them Regal Blue. Once dry I drybrushed them lightly with a very dry coat of Ultramarine Blue using the same Tank Brush. Painted all the fleshy bits Liche Purple. Made my own mix of 60/40 Liche Purple/Bleached Bone and drybrushed that over the features using a regular drybrush.

Painted the claws and teeth Bleached Bone. Once dry, I went over these with a Devlan Mud was to tone them down a get a little bit of shading. Also brings out the detail in the teeth.

Painted the eyes in Iyanden Darksun (Yellow) and painted the tongues a 50/50 mix of Warlock Purple/Bleached Bone to get a nice vibrant pink!

Now all my Space Hulk miniatures are finished, perhaps I'll get round to playing some games?

And now back to your regular Space Wolves programme...

Mark of the Wulfen VS Power Weapon

In most Space Wolves squads you can give a guy Mark of the Wulfen or a power weapon. Both Mark of the Wulfen and the Power Weapon cost 15 points, but which is best and what are each of them designed to do? We put them both to the test with a little Mathhammer!

We've already established that there's no point giving Characters or anyone riding a Thunderwolf the Mark of the Wulfen, because it replaces a models Attacks characteristic with D6+1 Attacks. But this means it's great for Grey Hunters, Skyclaws, lone wolves, wolf scouts and maybe even wolfguard.

But let's focus on the basic Space Wolves stat line and equipment that Grey Hunters have for our example.

For all intents and purposes, a Grey Hunter is a Space Marine with a bolter, bolt pistol, close combat weapon and the Counter Attack rule.
So he's typically going to get 3 attacks in close combat.

POWER WEAPON
Let's put a power weapon in his hand!

To start with, our Grey Hunter is going to fight some Imperial Guard, followed by some Orks, then some Chaos Space Marines and finally a Tyranid Carnifex.

The obvious benefit of wielding a power weapon is that it ignores armour saves. When so many armies rely on their 4+, 3+ or even 2+ armour saves in close combat, even a single power weapon can make a massive difference.

Power weapons are particularly effective against those players who seem to pass every armour save under the sun.

Grey Hunter charges a squad of Imperial Guardsmen.
He gets 3 Attacks, scores 2 hits and achieves 1 kill.

Grey Hunter charges a squad of Orks.
He gets 3 Attacks, scores 2 hits (rounding up) and achieves 1 kill.

Grey Hunter charges a squad of Chaos Space Marines.
He gets 3 Attacks, scores 2 hits (rounding up) and achieves 1 kill.

Grey Hunter charges a Carnifex.
He gets 3 Attacks, scores 2 hits and needs a 6 to wound. He's probably going to fail.

MARK OF THE WULFEN
Now let's give him the Mark of the Wulfen and turn him into a foaming loony!

Just like before, our Grey Hunter is going to fight some Imperial Guard, followed by some Orks, then some Chaos Space Marines and finally a Tyranid Carnifex. We just need to do this 6 times because his attacks are random. These numbers have been rounded up or down to make things simpler.

The appeal of Mark of the Wulfen is pretty simple and appeals to a lot of players. You can get lots of attacks and your attacks become rending. Plus, the idea of a Space Wolf embracing his bestial self and tearing your enemies limb from limb is just too good to resist!

Grey Hunter charges a squad of Imperial Guardsmen.
He gets 3 Attacks, scores 2 hits and achieves 1 kill
He gets 4 Attacks, scores 3 hits and achieves 2 kills
He gets 5 Attacks, scores 3 hits and achieves 2 kills
He gets 6 Attacks, scores 4 hits and achieves 2 kills after 1 Guardsman saves
He gets 7 Attacks, scores 5 hits and achieves 2 kills after 1 Guardsman saves
He gets 8 Attacks, scores 6 hits and achieves 4 kills after 1 Guardsman saves

Grey Hunter charges a squad of Orks.
He gets 3 Attacks, scores 2 hits and achieves 1 kill
He gets 4 Attacks, scores 2 hits and achieves 1 kill
He gets 5 Attacks, scores 3 hits and achieves 1 kill
He gets 6 Attacks, scores 3 hits and achieves 2 kills
He gets 7 Attacks, scores 4 hits and achieves 2 kills
He gets 8 Attacks, scores 4 hits and achieves 2 kills

Grey Hunter charges a squad of Chaos Space Marines.
He gets 3 Attacks, scores 2 hits and achieves 0 kill after Chaos Marine saves
He gets 4 Attacks, scores 2 hits and achieves 0 kill after Chaos Marine saves
He gets 5 Attacks, scores 3 hits and achieves 0 kill after Chaos Marine saves
He gets 6 Attacks, scores 3 hits and achieves 0 kill after Chaos Marine saves
He gets 7 Attacks, scores 4 hits and achieves 1 kill after Chaos Marine saves
He gets 8 Attacks, scores 4 hits and achieves 1 kill after Chaos Marine saves

Grey Hunter charges a Carnifex.
He gets 3 Attacks, scores 2 hits and fails to wound
He gets 4 Attacks, scores 3 hits and fails to wound
He gets 5 Attacks, scores 3 hits and fails to wound
He gets 6 Attacks, scores 4 hits and wounds with a lucky rending hit
He gets 7 Attacks, scores 5 hits and wounds with a rending hit
He gets 8 Attacks, scores 6 hits and wounds with a rending hit


CONCLUSION
On average the Grey Hunter with the Mark of the Wulfen will get 5-6 attacks while the Grey Hunter with the Power Weapon will always get 3. Now in this comparison, it's quite difficult to factor in the probability of rolling a 6 for rending. Actually, I could factor it in, but no one is going to read page upon page of probability. So I've rounded things up and down to give a general impression.

But what the results here do show is that a Grey Hunter with the Mark of the Wulfen will, on average, achieve more kills against Imperial Guard and Orks than a Grey Hunter armed with a Power Weapon. He also stands a better chance of wounding a monstrous creature. However, on average there is a reduced chance of killing a Chaos Space Marine due to the 3+ armour save of his opponent.

So there you have it. The Mark of the Wulfen is for generalised use while the Power Weapon is better suited to armoured targets.

All the same, I'm tempted to take Mark of the Wulfen over a Power Weapon as a prefer a list designed to take on all-comers and hope my luck holds out, giving me lots of attacks and a couple of rending hits! But as ever, the choice is yours.

Wolf Guard Battle Leader Tactics

Taking a Wolf Guard Battle Leader in your Space Wolves army? Then read our Wolf Guard Battle Leader tactics to get the most out of this cost effective HQ choice.

Earlier we compared the Wolf Guard Battle Leader to the Wolf Lord, showing that he was a far better choice that could save you 30pts in the process. While the Wolf Lord is ideally suited to games of Warhammer 40K that are over 2,000 points, the Wolf Guard Battle Leader seems a more sensible choice for regular or even lower point games.

So without further ado, let's run through the options available to a Wolf Guard Battle Leader:

OPTIONS:
Boltgun - Not worth it
Storm bolter - good and cheap!
Combi-weapon - also good and cheap!
Power weapon or plasma pistol - Power weapon for cheapness
Wolf claw - for 5pts more a power weapon with rerolls! Better than the power weapon.
Powerfist or Frost Weapon - Powerfist is no good, Frost weapon is a +1S power weapon.
Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield or Chainfist - All excellent, but very expensive
Runic Armour - expensive, especially when terminator armour is more cost effective.
Terminator armour - expensive, but comes with weapons and makes other weapons cheaper
Jump Pack - only if joined to Skyclaws.
Space Marine Bike - high movement, +1T. Not too expensive.
Thunderwolf Mount - gives rending and +1T and cavalry movement. Thunderwolf or bike?
Melta Bombs - sure, if you have 5pts left over
Wolftooth Necklace - Take it!
Wolf Tail Talisman - Take it!
0-2 Pet Wolves - if riding Thunderwolf
Mark of the Wulfen - Not worth taking for characters.
Saga of the Beastslayer - Brilliant value for points!
Saga of the Hunter - Tough close combat character with Outflank and Stealth. It's tempting.
Saga of Wolfkin - Boosts the stats of your Fenrisian Wolves
Saga of the Warriorborn - Awesome, but expensive.

SUMMARY

The biggest difference between the Wolf Lord and the Wolf Guard Battle Leader is their stat lines with the Wolf Lord having an additional point of Weapon Skill, Wounds and Leadership.

So I'm going to recommend pretty much the same combinations as the Wolf Lord for your Wolf Guard Battle Leader at 30pts less.

Wolf Guard Battle Leader 1: 200pts
Thunderwolf, 2 Fenrisian wolves, wolf claw, storm shield, melta bombs and Saga of the Beast Slayer
If you've got the points, a wolf tooth necklance and wolf tail talisman boosts him up to 215pts

I'm sorely tempted to give him a thunderhammer or chainfist to take out tanks, but I think this will require some playtesting to decide. Alternatively, for something more hard hitting, you can combine the +1 Strength of a Frost Blade with the +1 Strength of the Thunderwolf to achieve a total Strength of 6. Come here you Monstrous Creatures!!

This is the most gung-ho option for the Wolf Guard Battle Leader. So now for some sensible options where he will probably be a little safer by hiding in a larger unit.

Wolf Guard Battle Leader 2: 130pts
Terminator armour, combi-melta, wolf claw and saga of the beast slayer.
If you've got the points, a wolf tooth necklance and wolf tail talisman boosts him up to 145pts

For a few points more, you can swap the combi-weapon for a wolf claw and swap the left wolf claw for a Storm Shield and get a 3+ save.

Wolf Guard Battle Leader 3: 150pts
Terminator armour, wolf claw, storm shield and saga of the beast slayer.
If you've got the points, a wolf tooth necklance and wolf tail talisman boosts him up to 165pts

Finally for a few more points, he can have a Thunderhammer or a Chainfist. While this is tempting, the squad he's leading should have a powerfist or similar hard hitting weapon. In the meantime his Initiative 5 should be used to inflict lots of wounding power weapon attacks to reduce the effectiveness of a retaliating enemy in close combat.

Wolf Guard Battle Leader 4: 160pts
Terminator armour, thunderhammer, storm shield and saga of the beast slayer.
If you've got the points, a wolf tooth necklance and wolf tail talisman boosts him up to 175pts

Wolf Guard Battle Leader 5: 170pts
Space marine bike, wolf claw, storm shield, melta bombs and saga of the beast slayer.
If you've got the points, a wolf tooth necklance and wolf tail talisman boosts him up to 185pts

FINAL THOUGHTS
It's clear to see why Wolf Guard Battle Leaders are often nominated to lead the armies of the Space Wolves. It's because they do what the Wolf Lord does, but for 30pts less!

But when it comes to being cost effective, the Rune Priest and even the Wolf Priest are far better choices.

Wolf Priest Tactics

When taking a Wolf Priest, the most important thing is who the Wolf Priest is leading. Because of his 'Oaths of War' ability, a Wolf Priest dramatically augments any unit he is leading in close combat when it charges.

So, to make the most of this ability (which is the only reason you should take him), we're going to show you the best Wolf Priest builds based around the assault units he can lead.

A Wolf Priest comes with a bolt pistol, crozius arcanum (power weapon), frag and krak grenades, a wolf amulet (4+ invulnerable save) and a Fang of Morkai (makes the unit he's with fearless).

In terms of Special Rules, a Wolf Priest gets all the usual Space Wolf ones, plus Oath of War, which lets him announce at the beginning of the game which 'unit type' he grants rerolls against, be they Vehicles, Monstrous Creatures or Infantry.

Let's quickly run through the equipment list and show some Wolf Priest examples

boltgun - not worth it
storm bolter - cheap and cheerful
plasma pistol - pricey
combi-weapon - not bad
runic armour - not bad
terminator armour - quite cheap considering. Makes combi-weapons cheaper.
jump pack - essential if leading Skyclaws
bike - essential if leading Swiftclaws
melta bombs - for 5pts, take em!
wolf tooth necklace - you're getting rerolls, but if you've got 10pts to spare, do it.
wolf tail talisman - take it!
saga of the beast slayer - you're ALREADY re-rolling to hit if monstrous creatures are an issue.
saga of the hunter - Only if leading Wolf Scouts.
saga of the wolfkin - Boosts the stats of your Fenrisian wolves
saga of the warrior born - cool, but too expensive.

The sagas are a bit of a write-off, as are most of the options. Why take Terminator armour when you get a 4+ invulnerable save anyway? Runic armour is clearly the better choice. Also, you don't want to give this guy a storm bolter or combi-weapon when his bolt pistol can grant him an extra attack in close combat, because that's where this guy is going to be!

FIGHTING ON FOOT
If your Wolf Priest is on foot, he's going to be in a Land Raider, otherwise he and the unit he leads will never see a combat against a canny player, because foot sloggers rarely get the charge in 5th edition.

Wolf Priest 1: 125pts
runic armour, melta bombs

Yep, that's it. It's all he needs. He's got a 2+ save, a 4+ invulnerable save. That's all he needs. His Oath of War and power weapon will do the rest. He also has melta bombs in case you choose 'Vehicles' for your Oath of War.

For another 5pts you can give him a wolf tail talisman (for a 5+ save against psychic powers). He doesn't really need a wolftooth necklace.

FAST ATTACK!
It's the fast assault units that cause real fear in 5th edition 40K, because they can't be stopped by a lucky lascannon shot. This is where the Wolf Priest can be the most ferocious in his role as a close assault character.

Wolf Priest 2: 150pts
runic armour, melta bombs, jump pack

My friend James has a Chaplain leading an Assault Squad for his Dark Angels and they are disgusting when they charge. Naturally, I'd like to do the same with my Space Wolves...except Skyclaws get MORE attacks when they charge!

Wolf Priest 3: 160pts
runic armour, melta bombs, space marine bike

Same again, but on a bike this time. There's not much you can do with a Wolf Priest beyond giving him runic armour and melta bombs. Obviously, if he's on a bike, he'll be leading a squad of Swiftclaw Bikers.

CONCLUSION
Pretty short and sweet as far as Wolf Priest tactics go, but when there aren't many options worth having, it's easy to find the best combos.

As an 'augmenting' character, he's best attached to a fast assault unit who can deal the majority of the damage while his power weapon can add to the carnage. So long as there's a power fist in the unit he's attached to, a unit lead by the Wolf Priest should annihilate whatever it charges.