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I want to make a themed imperial guard army - here's what I was thinking...


The concept (feel free to skip past this and get strait onto my modelling questions!):

A massive imperial guard prison is situated on a small planet in the imperium.

An uprising of orks on the planet causes an evacuation of most of the civilians on the island and the arrival of an imperial guard company to stave off the orks.

A desperate battle occurs and the orks begin to overpower the guard, at this point the cunning officer in charge of the prison gives the order to release the prisoners, arm them with what few weapons they can get hold of and send them in to aid the battle.

Reinforced by the new troops, the imperium still cannot hold off the orks and decide to flee the battlefield. They grab what they can in the precious few minutes they get and scatter in all directions, most being chased down and killed by the orks.

Only a select few soldiers survive the battle and route, mostly prisoners but also a few tanks and the senior officer in charge of the now ransacked prison.

With scanty equipment and having been cut off from hope of reinforcements or extra equipment in the near future – the scattered remnant of the prison must attempt to scavenge off the land and stay alive at whatever cost till help can reach them.


The modelling:


I want to make an army with Penal Legion as it’s core troops. These will be supported by a number of tanks and a standard senior officer and retinue.

In a modelling point of view – I’ve searched the forum and found quite a few ideas. I’m planning to give the army a scavenged feel and have the penal legions grab random ork and imperial guard weaponry to give a ramshackle feel to them.

I was thinking that perhaps the prison they evacuated from could be a mutant prison? How could I resemble mutants? I was thinking perhaps a horrible and different skin colour – maybe inflamed red with yellow specs to represent pus and warts? Or perhaps a weird pale blue colour?

Could this work in a modelling point of view?

Suggestions greatly appreciated!


Blake

Hi, sounds like a cool army in the making.

Crits:

fluffwise you forgot to mention that the prison was on an island... but in any case, the fluff details don't matter so much! It's a really nice story (simple and effective) but it gives plenty of working space.

mutants: hmmm I guess you can use orks, goblin range; ummmm even ratlings are considered mutated sub humans... But painting them differently is probably a better idea (less chaosy in appearance).

I like the idea of a weird pale blue skin colour; but I think it'd be better if they have a shade of blue (rather than shade of pinky flesh) - rather than making them blue skinned (*cough* Tau... lol *cough*)

I guess the mutants can handle the Ork shootas regularly, where as standard guardsmen will have to use sluggas as replacements for their lasrifles... since even those pistols are hard to operate for a normal human soldier.

sj

Ogryns in orange prison uniforms would be a nice touch, or maybe black and white horizontal stripes.

black and white would look a bit cheezy in my oppinion.

orange though....

oh lotsa grime btw. if these guys are on the run, theyre gonna be covered in ALOT of gak, mud and grime.

i agree with norwulf though, ogryns in prison would look ace especially if theyre being lead by some weedy guy who uses them as his muscle. (like a crime boss or summsit)

like watchmen ^^

Thanks for the input guys! I'll put a couple of pics up tonight when I get my camera back of a penal legion seargant I've just made.

Orange is a must I think - what about the armour? Perhaps green or brown? (being from a cadian regiment?)


No ogryns sadly - I've already been collecting guard and have the models already assembled and purchased, what I'm doing now is de-assembling them and/or converting them into the themed army I now feel confident enough to have a go at. So I have no money for extra models like ogryns with my pitiful budget.


Thanks again everyone! I'm still leaning towards red and yellow pus skin colour but I'll do two test models - one with blue tinge and one with red and see what people generally prefer.

Man i wish i had money, i'd give you some ogryns, i have -ed up visions of ogryn prisoners dancing about in my head now lol.

Ogryn Prisoner: "I hope your soul belongs to the God-Emporer boy! Cuz Yer ass belongs to ME!"
que badass Megadeth solo

Norwulf wrote:Man i wish i had money, i'd give you some ogryns, i have -ed up visions of ogryn prisoners dancing about in my head now lol.

Ogryn Prisoner: "I hope your soul belongs to the God-Emporer boy! Cuz Yer ass belongs to ME!"
que badass Megadeth solo

Dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock. The riot (in cell block 9 of course) is lead by two men in dark sunglasses.

Will the guards get shotguns?

There was an article in a WD a few years ago that talked about making different types of abhumans (essentially, mutants that the imperium is relatively tolerant of). I can't remember much about it now, but it had plenty of modeling suggestions. I might be able to find it later if I remember.

guard dogs, gotta have a few of those.
hey have you seen "natural born killers"? maybe make a warden modeled after him? (i have no idea whatsoever on how to accomplish that) or maybe model the warden like the one on "superjail" lol.

I love that idea. Go for it man, itll look great when on the table top

Nice ideas everyone.

Maybe I should try and get that WD issue from ebay... do you know the number?


I've got WIP pics on a new thread for neatness sake: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/257525.page

I'm afraid the best I can tell you at the moment is that it was before Apocalypse and after issue 288. I might be able to find the issue tomorrow, if nobody else remembers which one it is?

Edit: It was issue no. 303, and was called Chapter Approved: Abhumans. I should have a better description of the article for you up later.

maybe have orgryns with ball and chains(with a few who have broken them off and are swinging them around theyre heads?)

big mek boomsnikk wrote:maybe have orgryns with ball and chains(with a few who have broken them off and are swinging them around theyre heads?)

You could use night gobbo fanatics fer that. Alas, Blake has no money for orgs.
love the idea though.

big mek boomsnikk wrote:maybe have orgryns with ball and chains(with a few who have broken them off and are swinging them around theyre heads?)

Stop tempting me! My wallet is light as it is!

Ok, I've found the issue. Not all of the abhumans seem like they're likely to be found on a prison world, but most of them probably could be. The article also gave rules for the abhuman units, unfortunately using the (iirc) now outdated doctrines system as well as the costs shown, meaning these may be undercosted. I will also try to paraphrase the background given for each unit.

Feral ogryns:
Many worlds are inhabited by ogryns. The populations of some however, are so debased as to be of no other use than as vicious assault troops. Once in battle, these extra-stpid and extra-vicious ogryns are almost completely uncontrollable.

Feral world ogryns form the bulk of this regiment. at a cost of +5pts per model, ogryns may be taken as troops. These ogryns exchange their standard armament with an additional close-combat weapon and may not have a bone'ead or transport.

WHFB ogres were used for these, quickly 40k-ed up with things like tank hatch belly plates and purity seals, but keeping the standard ogre weapons for the most part. Even if you didn't want to use the background or rules for feral ogryns, it may be a good idea to use the ogre models to represent ogryns not officially part of the IG, and therefore haven't been given the usual armor, equipment, etc.

Nightsiders:
These abhumans come from a world where the entire population lives their entire life in near or total darkness, and have therefore evolved to deal with it. Nightsiders may have extra large, bulbuous eyes, or may have only vestigial eyes, other senses compensating for near or total blindness.

Guard infantry units may be taken as Nightsiders for +10pts per model, gaining the Acute Senses universal special rule.

The example model had the detail of it's eyes and nose obscured with green stuff, suggesting that other senses have evolved to take up the strain.

Slave Levies:
Many worlds harbor an oppressed underclass of mutant workers, beings whose continued existence is only justified in the eyes of the Imperium by their ceaseless toil. Whatever quirk of genetics gave rise to such mutants will have been exacerbated by generations of backbreaking labour. The result is a malformed creature deemed fit only to serve as a slave, but surprisingly tough and resilient.

Guard infantry units may be taken as slave levies for a cost of 20pts per unit. Slave levies are subject to the Feel No Pain and Slow and Purposeful special rules, and may take no other doctrines.

The example model was made from an ork torso to give a hunchbacked look, with arms form the catachan sprue and kneeling legs from the cadian heavy weapons sprue. The head is an appropriate catachan one glued to give the appearance of a hunchback, with GS hood covering the join.

On a flavor note, it seems to me that criminal slave levies are more likely to be killed than imprisoned, but the may be in the prison as workers, quickly levied in times of crisis and given basic equipment.

There is at least two more that seem suitable to a prison guard army, maybe three, but I'm afraid those will have to wait until tomorrow.

all of these sound good, can't wait to see this army take shape! I really dig the slave levies for this, i see em as a chain gang, more orange uniforms of course.

Ok, here's the rest of the abhumans:

Homo Sapiens Variatus:
Also known as beasts, degens or twists, these abhumans are one of the most physically varied forms of abhuman. They can generally be described as combining the appearance of humans with something more bestial. All types of Beasts do not necessarily look alike, and different traits can manifest themselves. Apart form this, they are fairly genetically stable, and therefore considered a type of abhuman rather than a form of mutant. In temperament, as well as appearance, they are often bestial, having a reputation for aggression and indiscipline (making them more likely to be found in prison). The IG regards them as useful fighters, ideal for suicide assaults where brawn is worth more than brains. Many beast serving the IG are forced to wear conspicuous purity seals and devotional scripts to proclaim their loyalty- the forces of chaos are known to be "gifted" with bestial mutations, such as cloven feet, horns, and the faces of goats. Such mutations are destroyed on sight.

This doctrine is applied to a conscript platoon (beasts are normally used in large "herds") and grants the members +1WS and the furious charge special rule for a cost of +30 pts per unit.

The example conversion was very simple, using a catachan jungle fighter body, with a WHFB beastman ungor head with the horns shaved off. The simplicity of the conversion and the likelihood, due to the background, of Beast finding their way to prison makes this a good choice, imho.

Subs:
There are mutants at large withing the imperium that, although of stable genetic stock, are so physically abhorrent that they are forced to like entirely separate form society and hide their swollen faces behind filthy shrouds. These creatures form an underclass, often the subject of brutal pogroms by zealous preachers. Such mutants are often forced into criminality(direct quote form the WD-perfect!) and become easy prey for those who would whisper the lies of the ruinous powers. If the IG is forced to conscript these beings, they are treated as completely expendable. Little wonder that they often turn to chaos, as humanity has rejected them entirely.

Subs may be applied to conscript platoons at a cost of +30pts per unit. shooting enemy units hay always choose to ignore the subs if they are closer than an intended non-vehicle target (does this matter in 5th ed?), but if the enemy traces a line of fire though the subs, the target receives a 5+ cover save(might need to be changed to a +1 to cover save now). In addition, so fearful are the Subs of their master's wrath that they will never flee from shooting casualties, becoming pinned instead. while they are pinned, other units receive no cover save.

The conversion attempted to show the mutant as ugly without showing the face, by using a steel legion miniature, chopping off the top of the helmet and sculpting a rough helmet out of GS. As the model is wearing a gas mask, you simply see a pipe going into the hood.

Gland Warriors:
This is the only unit I have described that is fairly unlikely to be found inprision. However, it is still possible, and the background (and possibly extra rules) might add some extra interest to a HQ model or veterans unit.

When the forge world of Dantis III was invaded by the nids, IG regiments from the nearby world of Lostok were drafted in to combat the menace. The surface of Dantis III was heavily polluted and the infestation of nid organisms made fighting outside the factory-complexes almost impossible. A few companies of the Lostok 23rd were modified by the techpriests to fight in the hellish war zone, incorporating many organs and drug secreting glands that enabled them to survive unprotected, as well as booting their combat capabilities. Only a handful of Gland Warriors are believed to have survived repulsing the nids form the planet. The processed by which the IG became Gland Warriors is known only to a few of the Admech, are are rarely utilized, for the Inquisition invariably take an interest in such technologies. Nonetheless, a number of regiments have been subjected to the process, and can be found across the galaxy.

Guard infantry units can become Gland Warriors at a cost of +15pts per unit, benefiting from the Fleet special rule. However, on a fleet roll of 6, one of the models is removed as a casualty form the units as his system is overcome by the drugs dispensed by his artificial glands.

Conversions for gland warriors would essentially be the same as any conversion to make a unit look "veteran". One of the examples was based upon Sgt. Stone who I believe is a character in Inquisitor.

The only abhuman I did not describe was the Afriel Strain, because they are semi-failed attempts to clone some of the imperium's greatest heroes and, being meant solely for war and backed by very powerful (unnamed) people in the imperium. This means they are unlikely to be found in a prison.

Personally, I am unsure about using the rules provided for each of the abhumans, as they are likely undercosted, as they are supposed to cost 2 doctrines in addition to the points cost, and would probably stop your army form being tournament-legal. However, I heartily recommended using the background and modeling suggestions to flavor squads in your army. I see from your other thread that your are doing a different type of mutant for each squad, and imho these would make good additions.

Hope this helps .

Thankyou very much for the in depth info! That will serve as endless inspiration! I can't thank you enough.

I've nearly got my first squad done now (assembled, that is). 9 out of ten complete. I'll put pics up in my other thread shortly.

I want to tear into a basalisk before long soon too.


I was thinking for a peliminary army list so I can start playing games in a couple of weeks could be:


command squad with upgrades and chimera


2 penal legion squads


1 basalisk


I want to see how the list performs in battle before I put too much effort into it because if it turns out hopeless I'll need to re-think the fluff and get a something more substantial in there.


Anywho, I'm really pleased that it's got some interest - it'll help me no end in motivation to getting this thing really going.

No problem, glad I could help. Really looking forward to seeing the rest of the army.

I've never fought against 5th ed guard (collect SM myself) so I probably can't help much with the army list, though I can promise from experience that the basilisk will do plenty of damage.

Good luck!

I've been giving a lot of thought as to what to do for the next unit. I'm really not sure yet - I want them all to be creative if I can.

Perhaps a conversion for beastmen could be using bits from the ork sprues? I've got some vintage ork models which aren't nearly so massive looking. These might make quite an eye catching unit. What do you think?

I could do a dwarf flesh, drybrushed with green for the skin colour.