Painting carries on with the Fellblades, but first more gaming against a fellow club member and their beautiful Krieg army
Things got bloody fast on this pretty dense table, as we both garrisoned the craters in the middle, his aircover was stuffing their faces with doughnuts at the aerodome while my terminators were dropping down fists first through his armoured units, titans struggled to find lines of fire and his line could not find the heart to regroup after first attrition started to rain in.
As always, click the pictures to see more than potatoes.
And the Fellblades are done before the weekend games, booyah
Some of the prints had rather visible defects, but I think they worked out pretty well as battle damage. Small things like hulls slashed open have never stopped XIV before either
Great job on the Fellblades. I would have thought all battle damage was intentional. Great way to make lemonade, as it were. Onward slogs the XIV through any hardships!
Yeah the printer seems to have a dead pixel in it so that occasionally there are holes or weird slashes in an odd model here or there, which usually means they'll end up as fodder for my titans' bases. In this case it seemed fitting to just make use of it by having a few blackened holes or the big gash pushing up black smoke made from flock
The Basilisks are the same, I think a third or so of them have holes too. Glad we aren't some fancy Blood Angels or something, so that damage IS our bling
I'd love to work on a large Fellblade one day, if only for the fun of it. The design is just so nice, even if one needs to play Apocalypse to make it feel like it belongs.
Not that that's really a problem either, given Apocalypse is a pretty solid ruleset. Huh, fancy that.
Don Qui Hotep wrote: By the by, I suppose I should have asked this way earlier, but which version of Epic are you using?
I'm happy with any, if it gets played
For an actual answer though, I prefer Epic Armageddon for battalion sized engagements and upwards, while the new Apocalypse is a fun system for company level. As my Death Guard are organized in their old legion style, EpicAU's Heresy list provides the best base for that. NetEA, EpicUK and EpicAU (as well as their variations) can be played against each other without a hitch in a casual environment, while I'd probably go with EpicUK's more polished lists if I'd go to a tournament. Haven't read Epic 40k's rules, which allegedly would be the leanest for a truly gargantuan game but who knows. Armageddon is so well suited to what it wants to do that I can see myself playing it for the most part as far as 6 mm wars go. It doesn't do superheavies as well as I'd like, but hey ho, that's what Apoc and Titanicus can handle
Big pictures, small thumbnails, click 'em to see something.
We had a blast last weekend, playing a version of the Titandeath scenario with some 6000 points of Astorum / Defensor assailants rushing Favilla's 5000 point line. We had three relatively new players on the attacking side against me and one new guy who took control of my heavy engines while I ran aggressive light maniples and the psi-titan on one flank.
With the purported loyalists charging forwards, it did not take long before all hell was let loose and the air filled with death (purported, for they were suspiciously quick to start committing war crimes against the local miner population...).
From the very beginning, the high command of the attackers were bending over backwards to bring down the monstrosity that was Aetheris-Anathema. It was not enough that one Warlord spent the entire first half of the confrontation firing on it instead of attacking, they also ordered their aerial supports, radiation bombardment and long range missile support from the other flank to bully it before it could use its horrible magic to kill everyone and their dogs by looking at them funny, if the hate thrown its way is any indication
In the middle the attack pushed over the hill and by the highway as the open spaces exploded into furious firefights.
On the right, big guns turned into position as Hound packs stalked through the wastes.
Left flank saw a daring dash by Ruina Superborum, running faster than expected towards the advancing Astorum forces and cutting down the pointman Warhound with its fists before a torrent of volcano cannons and plasma balls tore into its body. for two rounds, it still stood defiant until finally finished by a stray shot from a fallen Reaver, still twitching as it lay on the ground punctured by the Acastus support further back. Said Acastoi had some troubles of their own, as half of their number vaporized in a sudden blast of microwave anger from the hilltop. It's triumphant roar was soon cut short though, as a beam of unreality tore through its core and it stumbled from the cliff in ruin.
In return, after two Warlords pummeled the Psi-titan down, the foremost brawler 'Lord was in return blasted apart by a trio of engines in front of it and it, too, soon collapsed from the hillside in flames.
As the lines mingled, many mushroom clouds soon rose from the field as Warhounds and knights were dying in droves, either pushing holes in the front or sacrificing themselves to protect their titan masters. Reserves were rolling in as fast as they could, a new defence on the right flank forming around the newly arrived psi-titan as it strode on the field behind the Warbringer Contemptus Mundi. The middle part was starting to buckle, as the so far untouched Defensor maniple went for the throat.
And so it went, on and on, until after six rounds and many more hours we were counting the dead. No definite breakthrough was made, well to the second dozen units had been killed on both sides by the end and as the dust settled, it seemed that the attackers had by the skin of their teeth eked a 12 point lead. On a field littered with burning wrecks and with over 100 victory points racked on both sides, such a slight margin was more akin to an ointment on a bitter draw as both forces were mauled beyond operational capability. A single felled Warhound more would have swung the situation around
Great fun was had by all, as this game is purpose built for this kind of super visual and cinematic struggles full of both heroic defiance and catastrophic chain reactions!
Ragnarthe89th wrote: Wow! Great stuff. I love all the tiny scenery! I will keep on eye out here.
Cheers, welcome to the thread
I should eventually get more scenery on the way too, I've been painting a dozen or so strips of 6 mm dragons' teeth and razorwire strips on the side as a way to use all excess browns from the actual models. Titanicus set needs a few bigger buildings, too
Great battle report! Very immersive. Nice edits on the photos, but what really sells it are the quality paint jobs and scale terrain. Reminds me of the fourth edition 40k when they would display more scenic images of the models.
With Epic gaining ever more momentum in my repertoire, it seems fitting to have another army at the ready. Something that plays way differently from the XIV but plays nicely along with my existing titans and knights.
Enter the Mechanicum.
Cleaned a few engines today while waiting for the Vanguard Miniatures infantry to arrive along with the priests, should last me a minute to finish
Also bashed a fun little Ordinatus together for that sweet sillyness amidst all the boringly effective barrages.
Quick backhand calculation says I've got maybe 11000 or so points of stuff here with the infantry, so in the same ballpark as the marines before their reinforcements get done.
Viterbi wrote: With epic it's a very small leap from "I'm starting a new army" to "I'm all in" isn't it? Excited to see the Mechanicum models painted up!
"I'm all in... for another army"
Yeah, it's neither too much work or money to get a fully playable force into shape in this scale. And they look so nice, even if just sitting on the shelf.
On Epic ffront, I tried to rescue some slightly badly printed Thanatars by swapping in some Leviathan arms (they got robo fists and antipersonnel dakka with belt-feeds, why not).
Don Qui Hotep wrote: Heck yes you are; chopping up and stitching back together makes sense at any scale!
Word
After assembling about 9000 points worth of stuff I find that damn this army requires a lot of techpriests. I've got like 20 stands of them and it's barely enough. Damn robots and your non-sentient AI's, always bonking to walls and walking into chasms if left unsupervised!
Nice save on the Castellax. And funny about the Techpriests, in 40k everyone is complaining that you get too much with all the Mechanicum bundles and in Epic one really needs them
Viterbi wrote: Nice save on the Castellax. And funny about the Techpriests, in 40k everyone is complaining that you get too much with all the Mechanicum bundles and in Epic one really needs them
Thanks. Yeah, that's true: unlike 40k where they are cool models you don't really need, here they are essential but cheap workers that make the world go 'round while the robots take care of the business. Funny how that works
Automatically Appended Next Post: Right, so here's about 9000 points before I start putting on the basing splodges.
Add a box or two of Aeronautica fliers and it's a nice, round 10k of stuff that can ally as much again in titans from Favilla as needed
Did some work with profound meaning, aka switched some AI fighters to older AI bases (the new ones are unsightly large to my taste) while preserving the number dials but making them otherwise prettier for Epic purposes. The newer flying stand was also a bit bigger than the old hole, requiring some slight surgery.
Given the Lightning box contains about a million missiles, I also bashed some AA autoturrets from surplus Warbringer shoulders:
Boy it's been a while but I've got my master's thesis written and the self-imposed miniature exile is over. Returning to the fray on the tall front, I went and started on something bigger for a change
I am going to be busting some heads with this hunk of resin if the blitheringly stupid DG restrictions for FW Legion units aren't FAQ'd post-haste, but first he'll have to get finished. So nice to build things again ^^
Screwed up a bit of one track because of a bloody wobbly gubbin at the front, fixed with liberal weathering. This baby will be muddy, alright.
The current 40k statline also incorporates a twin heavy bolter for some reason, so I bashed one up for the crew to shoot aspiring graffiti artists off the hull with.
Funnily enough, the tank can also buy one extra gun (HB / MM bolter and so on) but there's really no good place for one after the pintle space is taken by the twin HB. I'm considering just building an extra crew member or a couple of tank riders who are just lounging around the top with big ass guns
Ok, that's a whole other scale Excited to see, how it develops.
And congrats on getting the thesis done and hopefully it returns with good marks on it!
Funnily enough, the tank can also buy one extra gun (HB / MM bolter and so on) but there's really no good place for one after the pintle space is taken by the twin HB. I'm considering just building an extra crew member or a couple of tank riders who are just lounging around the top with big ass guns
I actually really like that idea - it's consistent with Death Guard character, right? These are a couple footsloggers with heavy weapons who jump on the back of a passing tank. And it would be pretty easy to make it modular, to pop on and off depending on the list.
Also, saw Viterbi's message and missed the bit about your MA - big congratulations! No small feet there (kind of a pun on yer tiny dreadnoughts but not a very good one)
Thanks guys, it should be in the Eximia / Laudatur range if my supervisors haven't been pulling a prank on me thus far so feeling pretty good about that.
And yeah, I think tank riders would be fine especially considering my main force is Captain-Commander Erasmus' third mechanized. I like the concept, given how wearing power armour allows you to clamp onto such machines and not die the moment it starts taking fire. Sadly Forge World was out of Fellblades at the moment, because I would totally have done a squad of hangers-on to commemorate the absolute brilliance of whoever it was that typed Fellblades as having a transport capacity of 25 in the Compendium, good grief
The pics ended a bit dark and thus way starker than they should, apologies for that, but boy am I glad they are finally done. The transformation from a bunch of base colours to damn fine when you get the trim done and some transfers on them for detail, m-mmh.
I kinda want to try it out on a few bases, even if the majority would get some shrubs on them to make them blend with the knights and titans on the off-chance they might be fielded all together in the future.
Maybe even burning shrubbery and 6 mm scale OSL tests if I'm feeling particularily masochistic one of these days...
You know, this was one of those days I realize I am an idiot. Life tends to be easier when you use proper tools and taking pictures of very small models might work out better if using a macro objective in the camera. Derp.
Also, razorwire and dragon's teeth on sticks ready to be thrown around the field.
I promise to paint some actually new models soon, but I had to take a few scale shots for a friend. Who knew, titans look like quite big machines when there's infantry around
Ah, a chance for macro brushwork! I was so distracted by the poor fella in his claw that I didn't even notice the details on the base. Really dynamic modeling!
Yeah, 2020 seemed to stretch I always love seeing all things epic here, it's just a whole other world with the smaller scale and always impressive what details you still manage to paint.
Cheers Viterbi, plenty of that to come when there's time to paint again. The new titan teased yesterday for AT is looking for a place in the queue already
While the next couple of months will still be quite busy in the military, one has to get some painting in while on leave. My target will be to paint 3000 points of Epic Mechanicum this week so I can demo the game on the weekend, starting with some WIP Lightnings and more killerbots:
After these guys are detailed and based, it's time for some infantry.
I love that you can see the glow of the techpriests eyes! AA stuff looks great too. I can never remember if they're the same scale as Titanicus or Epic or not.
Viterbi wrote:Awww, they look so little and adorable! Love the flora on the bases.
Being small makes everything cute, even inhumanly brutalized and shell-shocked wrecks of human life melded with smart toasters
Don Qui Hotep wrote:I love that you can see the glow of the techpriests eyes! AA stuff looks great too. I can never remember if they're the same scale as Titanicus or Epic or not.
Well you can't shoot before you see the whites of their eyes, it's only fair for the opposition. And yes, Aeronautica and Titanicus models are in same scale which works perfectly well with contemporary 6mm ranges like Vanguard's, which is awesome and makes mixing and matching a joy.
Flagellum Dei, the Scourge of God, joins the ranks of the Ashen Gods this day.
Nomen est omen and so on, the tasty irony in the naming being that though the Great Crusade was a secular endeavour, Legio Favilla was most often unleashed only after peaceful negotiations had been rebuffed and a complete eradication of opposing civilizations was requested. Thus, like a divine retribution of whatever deities they might have bowed to, did the resisting planets bring on themselves their doom until only ashes remained.
A bit of freehand training this time, couldn't find suitable transfers so I just painted the whip then
Thanks Boss, always ready to rip and tear until it is done
The legio currently stands at 12 painted titans and 18 knights, of which at least 4 god-engines and ~10 knights are suited for extreme close proximity violence. If only one could arrange some games this year without accidentally infecting and killing people, I could finally properly try out a list that could be solely dedicated to ramming fists down some mechanical throats en mass
Oh my, how time flies when you aren't painting titans. This chap took only one afternoon
Another lord joins the XIV, with proper bloody weaponry (still salty over 8th / 9th DG codex's stupid wargear restrictions). A leader of the Unbroken Blades SHALL wield a manreaper if he so desires, dangit!
With my stint at the military pretty much done, there's time to work with minis again. I had gotten hold of a set of FW's Gal Vorbak a while ago, which I wanted to use as a base for either spawns or possessed marines, representing various failed Librarians of the Echoes in the warp's flesh-changing grip. Such lovely models. They turned out as nicely chunky possessed, nine in total, ready to die for the XIV one last time after being thrown out of their prison.
One of them became a proper librarian, since he just didn't look warped enough during the process so whatever
While we're on the roll, today I finally painted a unit of Deathshrouds for tomorrow's game. Four models in a day, now that's lightning fast around these parts
I really dig the 30k version of Deathshrouds, make so much more sense when fielded in the numbers the new DG codex wants. These look particularly The Business
Sadly, most 40k games can only fit 18 scythe boys with the rule of three in effect... It would be fun to run Mortarion and 49 Deathshrouds at once for the lolz
Hm, that would actually only be about 3000 points or a bit less. I should build more scythe boys, then...
It is a most human tendency to look at your old works with some disdain, especially when you're showing them to other people. After all, the newer works are surely more representative of your art.
But then there are some things where you just go "eh, that's still cool". For me that's my Space Hulk project from 2009, the zenith of my teenage modeling skills. Despite being pretty roughly handled by convention goers over the years, this demo set has never failed to draw curious onlookers to the table. I'm still forever bitter about starting the project with 30 mm squares, making it a bit narrow for most modern models in general ZM use. One of these years, one of these years I swear I'll build a new and better one with blackjack and hookers...
But while waiting for that retirement plan, this summer's main Finnish convention is still digital due to earlier Corona restrictions. Not letting such little things stop me from some good gaming, I went and designed a virtual tabletop setup for SH on Tableplop with lots of immersive pictures for various situations during the game. "Into the Heart of Darkness" shall be our celebration of Richard Halliwell and his works, as a thousand bolter shots will mourn his passing.
Maybe I'll even paint the rest of the terminators in that box one day
Enjoy!
Next set, finally some better pictures of the table itself
I really like the flamer projection shot with the billowing clouds of smokey, flaming death. Really cool. Also, the pipe in the final shot is a simple, but awesome and effective detail. It looks like you used wire as brackets, taking advantage of the styrofoam material you used for the walls. Is that correct?
Warboss_Waaazag wrote: I really like the flamer projection shot with the billowing clouds of smokey, flaming death. Really cool. Also, the pipe in the final shot is a simple, but awesome and effective detail. It looks like you used wire as brackets, taking advantage of the styrofoam material you used for the walls. Is that correct?
Thanks, the little tea light explosions have made many a battle far more fun at the table
As for the piping, yeah. Simple steel wire pushed into the foam both looks like it belongs there and helped to keep the straw in place while the PVA dried.
Some shots from the old table itself (omitting the later-made wall parts and such, which are the same height for ZM skirmish table purposes when grids aren't required).
When I started the build in 2009, I made enough bits to play out the first mission in classic Hulk: the Suicide Mission. Afterwards I realised the folly of 30 mm squares and lost the original motivation. This mission is an evergreen demo favourite, so no big loss in that regard and you can even see it in the little details like the map in the corner, which is the map of said mission
1750 points of Favilla's hyper-aggressive Ferrox pain-train took on a two-player Krytos / Fureans alliance, facing off on a desert world tainted by a foul, toxic atmosphere (which could worsen critical damage over time) and wracked by a painful, daemonic presence (which made machine spirits even more unruly than usual). Both sides were trying to break deeply into the other's lines.
A perfect display of Titanicus as a game: first turn was agressive maneuvering, followed by a wild firestrom, third turn nuclear annihilation and a fourth turn mop-up of those still standing. My Ashen Gods took the field by Full Striding through the line on the first turn while the opposition dillydallied in their corner, losing the momentum and then getting slaughtered with their backs to the wall. While the result was a blowout 35-7 points and 6-2 casualties for Favilla's favour, the game was hugely fun for all involved and a rematch shall surely follow in time. All the beautifully painted and visually distinctive armies don't hurt, either
My favourite moment was at the end, as my teleporting Clawlord finally got a Charge on the opposing Deus Victrix and tore his reactor heart out in one neat display of four Critical Hits to the body. Fists for days!
Sherrypie wrote: My favourite moment was at the end, as my teleporting Clawlord finally got a Charge on the opposing Deus Victrix and tore his reactor heart out in one neat display of four Critical Hits to the body. Fists for days!
Exalt! Love to hear about a clawlord living its best life
Sherrypie wrote: My favourite moment was at the end, as my teleporting Clawlord finally got a Charge on the opposing Deus Victrix and tore his reactor heart out in one neat display of four Critical Hits to the body. Fists for days!
Exalt! Love to hear about a clawlord living its best life
A lot to catch up on. Really fast turnaround on the Deathshroud and they look amazing. And iirc the Rule of 3 is for official tournaments and not a standard rule per se. So if you got a game opponent you cold to Morty and the 49 Deathshrouds That Space Hulk Board is ace and I do hope you will one day built a Bender-approved new version!
Viterbi wrote: A lot to catch up on. Really fast turnaround on the Deathshroud and they look amazing. And iirc the Rule of 3 is for official tournaments and not a standard rule per se. So if you got a game opponent you cold to Morty and the 49 Deathshrouds That Space Hulk Board is ace and I do hope you will one day built a Bender-approved new version!
Thanks Vi
Yeah, rule of three isn't a hard limit by the core rules as such. It's in the GT pack if memory serves. Still, it's one of those basic things that will be in use most of the time, though I doubt most people who are fun to play with would oppose such a themed and obviously underpowered army every once in a while
Terminators! Who doesn't love them? I sure do, though I do now somewhat regret painting twenty of the buggers at once Looking over at the force as it stands, the termies apparently just are loved more in this house. I've made like 40 of them, counting characters, after starting this project in 2016 while the mere 20 normal infantrymen that kicked off the whole thing are still somewhat unfinished and the 100+ other troopers still haven't gotten out of their boxes. Whoops.
Click 'em bigger for deets! This time I finally tested out some weathering powders. Quite conservatively, but I am still satisfied with their potential. Expect more of those when the next lot gets painted.
Sorry for less than stellar shots, the weather decided to feth with my camera in particular today.
Boss Salvage wrote: Nice work all over, props on the little conversions throughout, from custom weapons to smokestacks
Cheers Boss, no model left unconverted
The smokestacks are funny. I originally started putting them on the termies to imitate the FW's Grave Wardens look, but it has since become a thing on all my terminators. Fits the theme, since they haven't fallen to Nurgle but use the DG codex rules so there obviously is a constant corrosive miasma cast around them (giving all the enemies that sweet -1 Toughness) and it makes them look more esoteric, even barbaric in comparison to the bare plate their loyalist kindred sport.
That's an awesome group of termies mate, well done. Colour scheme is great - love the red, really pops as a contrast colour and isn't something you see often with DG. They're also probably the first minis I've seen in red/white/green that manage to avoid feeling Christmassy! Maybe because of the grungy weathering and blood!
Great action shots on this page too. The terrain and photography really brings the minis to life. Brilliant work mate, thanks for sharing!
tzurk wrote: That's an awesome group of termies mate, well done. Colour scheme is great - love the red, really pops as a contrast colour and isn't something you see often with DG. They're also probably the first minis I've seen in red/white/green that manage to avoid feeling Christmassy! Maybe because of the grungy weathering and blood!
Great action shots on this page too. The terrain and photography really brings the minis to life. Brilliant work mate, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the kind words, mate.
Treading the line between grungy and gaudy is a bit of an effort here, since painting vibrant reds and greens is dang fun More dirt and splodges to counter that, right up! One FB comment saw this scheme as rather Mexican, which was amusing. In grimdark Mexico, pinjatas beat you?
Glad you like the action shots too, those are a joy to create. It's a physical, visual hobby after all and looking like there's a story being told there is half the fun for me
Viterbi wrote: Amazing work and I could never paint 20 models at once Love old-timey scuba diver face terminator the most.
Cheers, Vi!
Batch painting is really annoying in the beginning, when it's just colour blocking for hours on end. The end stretch though, that's fun when there's just fun detailing and weathering to do.
Some 9th, my DG vs. IG. Since I just got a batch of terminators painted, I took a humorous list with about 30 terminators of various kinds with a handful of supporting characters.
For some reason, this seems to have broken the IG player, who despite being the only one who dealt any real damage with their Demolisher Commanders and Manticores kept on insisting he couldn't do anything to the (constantly diminishing) wall of terminators and forfeited the game by turn four. I mostly trudged towards him, looking menacing
Something to be said for psychological warfare I guess. All those saves can be kinda intimidating especially if you fold like a cheap towel in melee. Looks like a pretty game at the least!
It's been my experience that people often lose the game simply by giving up in the face of a challenge they are unfamiliar with. I once played my Orks against a Necron army and I was very much on the losing end of all my opponent's relentless firepower. Then I got a lucky shot on a monolith in the center of the board, killing it. My opponent panicked and went into full retreat, eventually forfeiting when I took advantage and Charged his lines with what was left of my boyz. He should've had me, even with the loss of his tank, but in his mind the monolith was invincible. And when I proved it wasn't he lost all confidence. Some folks are just bad tacticians.
Vejut & Waaazag: definitely, an army with a leader who has lost faith in the operation is doomed.
Meanwhile, chugging along with this brick. The tracks looked like they needed a bit more dirt on them. I'll probably darken some bits yet, while the work on the edge highlights and chipping begins.
Interesting change of pace with the big tank, coming along nicely! And love the game shots and can never understand when people give up. I always play like the crew of the NSEA Protector: "Never give up, never surrender!"
Viterbi wrote: Interesting change of pace with the big tank, coming along nicely! And love the game shots and can never understand when people give up. I always play like the crew of the NSEA Protector: "Never give up, never surrender!"
Likewise. It's not over till it's over, dangit
On the coming along front, it sure does!
Falchion IV, the Fourth Horseman, rolls from the hangars to join the III mechanised of the XIV legion!
You really want to click these full size.
I'm happy with the bugger, especially how fun it was to splash around with mud and how nicely the main gun's NMM turned out. Let me know what you think
Meer_Cat wrote: Nice touch with the red fuel drums- the color makes a nice contrast with the neutral base color and all the weathering- really pops.
Thanks Meer_Cat! Tangentially, I'm not really sure if they're actually fuel cans, given how much power the main gun takes it's likely nuclear powered. Some cooling or moderating liquid, maybe? The spare fuel for the auxiliary generator powering the coffee machine can be found below the right had step, as one can see
In other news, bashed heads against a friend's orcs. We didn't have time to finish the game, but it was fun nonetheless. Damn those heresy greenskins are tough, boyz with 5+ saves can be a real pain to remove when there's hundreds of them! Even the final air charge of my Deathshrouds, while reaping through over two dozen stands, barely dented the 'uge mobs while forcing them to break.
Did a bit of repainting, brought the older terminators up towards the current level of the rest of the army.
While not too much of a bother, it sure can be frustrating to paint over older works when they have been done with a different philosophy. In this case, painting edge highlights was a bit bothersome as the past me decided on the bright idea of sponging dirt on, which naturally accumulates mostly on the raised edges. Grr.
Some lovely updates there - I like the muddied-up look you've achieved on the falchion, and the termies are looking great. I agree about painting over old paintjobs being a pain, but you've done a good job with those.
I hope I can make more of those reports soon, as gaming slowly picks up again. Might even do a bit of dollhousing with a camera one of these days, if I get somewhere with another force in 28 mm. Just so happens, I acquired some old Krieg and Steel Legion guardsmen on the cheap, so no fear of chewing through the project pile any time soon... more mud on the horizon, in any case!
Well, more repainting. This time the work continued on the very originators of the army, the upscaled tacticals (one of whom finally, after five years, received a base!).
I'll take some better individual photos once the other ten are painted and there's no game night immediately at hand, but for now I quite like how the drum magazine NMM turned out. As always, love to hear your thoughts.
Had a game with a friend who doesn't enjoy the basic matched system of 9th, so we whipped up a little narrative blast instead. Glacer's Creek, aka Rorke's Drift from the19th century Zulu wars, is a delightful classic and seemed a good fit for the amount of miniatures we had at hand.
The core of the scenario is simple: 1000 points of defenders sit in a hastily fortified location, in this case a remote bio-research facility, trying to survive 3-5 waves of varying enemies coming to get them. If half of the attacking models die, a wave ends. Defender's casualties are rolled for between the rounds, they can either die, return to the ranks with a band-aid or get put in a makeshift hospital to see if they can be patched up later. Should there be any defenders left at the end of the final wave, they win.
With that in mind, let us set the scene!
The Battle for the Bio-Labs At the distant backwaters of the galaxy, there exists a diminutive, discreet shadow empire ruled by their post-human Astartes overlords. Calling themselves the Echoes of Eisenstein, these marines consider themselves the true heirs of the XIV Legiones Astartes, the Unbroken Blades who never fell to the fell embrace of the Plaguefather. Though loyal to the cause of humanity, the millenia have not been kind and by the 41st millenium, their lot is that of open secession in all but name as far as the Imperium is concerned. Dour and stoic as ever before, the Death Guard however take this in stride and carry on with their clandestine wars. Bitter is the hate festering in them, seeing how the rotting Imperium they were made to protect slowly crumbles into further insanity and self-destruction as it ever pushes them further away, but for which they must still take up their arms and die if there should ever be a better tomorrow. Their bloated, fallen kin in the darkness of the Eye stand as an unforgivable example of what awaits, should they ever again become so lofty as to think nothing of the little people sheltering behind their might. Even if there is no hope, only slow decay and eventual collapse of it all, there is no despair and struggle, no such humiliation by the words of their erstwhile allies, that they won't endure to keep the unthinkable dream alive. The futility of it all is grimly amusing for their warriors, almost a point of pride even.
In one of their many secret holdings, Captain-Commander Erasmus and his terminator guard have come to meet the apothecary doctor running an important gene-engineering project. Situation around the planet has become increasingly dire with alien lifeforms making planetfall, requiring immediate bolstering of existing facilities. Abruptly, the radars start screaming. There is no time, the xenos are already here.
Barrels and crates are thrown to makeshift barricades as men scramble to firing positions.
"Prepare the labs! I will stop them here!" Erasmus growls.
Meanwhile, in the falling dusk, the alien monsters creep closer...
The first, exploratory wave is quickly cut down in a storm of bolter fire. Though the xenos are pushed back, a rampaging carnifex manages to down one of the terminators and couple of lesser men.
The second wave takes a suicidal charge from one of the terminator teams sallying out of the facility to break, but is likewise thrown back in tatters in short order.
While the Doc manages to patch some of the terminator brethren back on their feet, the approaching third wave thunders closer with much more force. Hulking monsters and massed smaller nightmares scitter on the dunes and charge forwards from the darkness.
As fighting heats up on the trash heap side, at the other side the second terminator squad sallies forwards under covering fire from the rooftops to take the fight to the enemy, crushing raveners, rippers, gants and the heavier fire support beasts as they charge over.
While that side gets taken care of, the central square is overran. The few terminators there cannot hold against the psionic might of the leader beasts and get mopped up by 'stealers in rapid succession. The auxiliaries don't fare much better and are unceremoniously cut down.
The situation looks bad for a moment, but Erasmus strikes the scene like a thunderbolt. His scythe blazing and sizzling with burning alien ichor, the captain of the Death Guard reaps a terrible tally through the assailants.
Seeing how blunted their attack is, the more intelligent among the xenos decide to scurry off, shielded by the remaining swarm of unimportant monsters. Though their back is broken and no further attacks will come, there is a momentary shock as Doc gets trampled into the dust by another carnifex before being blasted in the face by the captain's meltagun. By a whim of the fates, he does however survive the encounter with mere broken bones, cushioned as he was by the soft sand and thus no knowledge is lost.
****
Victory for the defending Death Guard, with plenty of marines still left standing at the end! Three auxiliaries managed to make it out alive as well, beyond anyone's expectations
The scenario is a blast to play and I encourage everyone to give it a shot, though this matchup might not have been the best if mounting casualties and desperation is sought. The Death Guard are hard as nails and an absolute nightmare to remove from entrenched positions, while Tyranids have plenty of weak bodies and their shooting is somewhat lackluster, meaning they have a hard time closing in for the kill before the waves end. The final wave had 88 'nid bodies on the field! Broodlords are quite devastating in this setup, though.
Finally, had the opportunity to take a proper family portrait of my legions both titanic and astartes! I present you, (almost) all of the currently painted Ashen Gods and the Death Guard in their 6 mm glory!
Hope you enjoy!
Now there's only about as much again, waiting on the shelves for their time to get processed as well...
Last weekend saw some titanic action as the green line of Krytos and Solaria thundered forwards against the Ashen Gods of Favilla. On this wartorn industrial world, lightning and artillery bombarded the area incessantly as the comms lit up: the Very Important Ultramarines (in their Land Raiders, objective markers) must be extracted from the clutches of Death Guard before it is too late.
We had a bit of fun in a four player setup, giving control of the main flow of command to the players who had full maniples on the field while one lad wanted to test his Warmaster out as support and I played my Psi-Titan and some knights in support of the new player trying out a Corsair trio of my Reavers. We used a smaller hand of custom stratagems for expediency.
Both sides quickly sped forwards to claim one of the Land Raiders, before everything went to hell for the alliance.
Before the second Krytos Hound got a chance to vaporize the knights who came to claim the Raider, they executed a daring dash backwards and sped into safety, though one of their number was soon blown apart by a Basilisk battery.
The Hound in question, though, was utterly atomised by the arcane contraption in Aetheris-Anathema's hand as if its shields were not even there. A dark blast of unreality shot forwards and in an unnervingly silent moment, the inner parts of the Warhound ceased to exist this side of the Veil as the charred outer remains crumbled into wreckage on the ground.
At the green corner, the Ultramarines were being escorted into relative safety while the titans turned their guns against the incoming sneaky Cerastoi.
One did make it through the rain of plasma undeterred, though, and charged in. Slamming its lance through the heart of the other Warhound, they tangled together in death as the Hound exploded like a miniature sun.
In the other direction, the two big chonkers had been firing away at the incoming Reavers, of which Flagellum Dei got blasted apart in a radiation cloud as its tortured shields could take no more and huge balls of roaring plasma ripped through its structure. This, however, did nothing to prevent the horror that was the Psi-Titan from ravaging the Warmaster from afar. First shot tore through its sides, coolant leaking in torrents from the wound as it backed behind the large office building in vain hope of gaining cover. This was not to be, however, as the second beam of nightmares vaporized said office block in contempt and smashed into the god-machine behind. There was a screech of dying metal, followed by a blinding explosion as the remains blew sky high, unleashing the caged power of the plasma reactors within.
Alarmed and struck in the legs by the debris cloud, the Krytos Warlord Deus Invictrix blinked for a moment too long and allowed one of the Reavers, Ruina Superborum, to close in and grip it by the cojones with its fists. The wounded giant was soon toppled, smashed into the ground and screaming its last as it was sawn apart.
Before individual pictures of the tactical marines, something completely different.
Did a quick couple of hours mini as a NMM test on swords. It's an older Rackham Confrontation model, a royal guard of Alahan (for some reason on a round 25 mm base ).
Having mostly painted burly marines and boxy tanks of late, dang this guy was a squiggly bastard to paint
Automatically Appended Next Post: Back on the XIV train, finally the 20 OG tacticals get the portraits they deserve taken!
Should I paint the Possessed or another Titan next? Kind of feeling the XIV groove at the moment, but there is a megabattle of Titanicus coming up in a couple of months...
Had a bash against a great Mad Max inspired counts-as Orks project of Diggaz.
The thin line of ceramite held, bent but unbroken, as the XIV reaped a grim tally and threw the gangers back to the desert. Honorable mention goes to the tactical sergeant, who stood against the boyz mob and the biker crew alone far longer than anyone expected before the surgeon and the captain destroyed everything
Every time a new Ork codex comes out I think about doing a Digga army ... but then I see an army like this and can ride historic vicariously Way to crush those degenerates and send them back into the wastes
Boss Salvage wrote: Every time a new Ork codex comes out I think about doing a Digga army ... but then I see an army like this and can ride historic vicariously Way to crush those degenerates and send them back into the wastes
Did you get a clearer snap of the war rig??
Ha
I was just snapping some pictures as we played (well, as much as you can call it snapping when you're dancing around with a DSLR that's trying to tip over its tripod due to an oversized objective as it's dangled on top of shaky piles of terrain boxes to get some distance...), but you can check Jussi's Instagram for some more: https://www.instagram.com/p/BzUITuohALB/
That is an amazingly cool army, super well done. Like Salvage, I've also been tempted to do a max mad human ork army. I even got some bikers for the army, but it has never amounted to much.
The terrain and death guard look fantastic as well. Thanks for sharing
Illumini wrote: That is an amazingly cool army, super well done. Like Salvage, I've also been tempted to do a max mad human ork army. I even got some bikers for the army, but it has never amounted to much.
The terrain and death guard look fantastic as well. Thanks for sharing
Cheers
There is something quite alluring about the aesthetics of wasteland gangers, one must admit. I've got a similar urge whenever I browse inspirational materials in the Inq28 or Unification Wars communities. Especially the brutal technobarbarian madness of the Unification era tickles my fancy, so if I ever start working on some Mechanicum bodyhorror beyond Epic scales it's a pretty safe bet where that lands...
Keeping with the tradition, our chemical warfare unit needed a siegebreaker to coordinate some good old bombardments from the front (Lord of Virulence). The overtly long nozzle of the thrower likely contains an aerosolization chamber and a pressure driver for the corrosive concoction that is mixed through the various tubes of the contraption. All utterly necessary without any compensation factor built in, of course
Added another wretch to the failed Librarius as well, bringing their number to ten:
A little late, but great pics from the second game. And I always love it, when one mini does something against all odds, that Sgt. is ripe for promotion!
Love the new builds and excited for seeing paint on them.
Lone braves fighting against the odds is the best thing in 40k games!
On the gaming front, I've been Crusading against Necrons at 1k points. We were squabbling over wandering civilians, the XIV wanted to capture them for medical purposes while the ancients simply desired information about the nearest malls to acquire batteries from.
Incredibly, while the Necrons were filled to the brim with Str 5 AP-2 guns and extra movement, they failed to kill a single unit throughout the game. Even six melee Destroyers only downed four Plague marines before being taken down in return with grenades and psychic might. The stars of the show were my five-man band of terminators, who only lost three models during the game while tanking well above a hundred shots from the gauss reapers. Not for a lack of trying!
Seen here, sergeant Arendt led the charge to destroy a 20 strong warrior phalanx, taking it down to a single skellie.
Which very soon became 14 skellies again... yet this shambling horde could not take down the old sarge before Captain-Commander Erasmus swooped in with his manreaper and put them down in one fell blow.
But yeah, a crushing victory with DG casualties being 2 cultists, 8 marines and 3 terminators versus some 45 warriors, 6 destroyers and their Overlord. Brutal.
Inspired by the sudden desire to play with some of my older models without dying of internal embarrasment over their mediocre paintjob, the great updating effort continued with some dreads and the old medicae captain. Especially the green parts, some of the weathering and added powders were dealt with to tie the army together.
Clicking shows the deetz
The melee Contemptor:
The original generalist Contemptor from 2016. Originally I had put some widening bits to the shoulders, but over the years got convinced that they looked a bit silly. Off with them, then!
The original leader from 2016 as well, now finally with some bloody highlights in his armour. Urgh!
Hey, something new as well! Another witch joins the ranks, so I can now finally play two Plaguecasters without proxying them with my tactical vexilla marines.
Ya boiis, couldn't paint the Possessed yet since I had to prepare at least something new for tomorrow mega-Titanicus. Few days and maybe ~20 painting hours later:
*BWAAAAAAAAP*
Delictor Profectuum, the Eraser of Deeds, Annihilator of Achievements, walks!
This brings Legio Favilla to 13 painted titans, which... will probably not be enough, I haven't even built all my stuff
Battle of the Sundered Dreams happened, as 47 God-Machines and 12 Knights marched to war.
Tune in a day or two, for a tale of botched commands, fury of a thousand suns and dying of the light... It's battle report time when I get this stuff edited
Very excited for the battle report and amazed by your reworked paintjobs. Love the second Contemptor, that pose is gold and works so well with your color scheme.
Once, we shared a dream. Of unity, of purpose and kinship. With the fury of a thousand suns such notions are shattered in bitter struggle as camaraderie turns into hate and poisons the hands that once clasped as one. Words turn to anger, posturing into ground-shaking tread of titans and blame into action.
The first trigger was pulled and a world forever thus doomed.
----
Nine players, 47 God-Machines and 12 Knights, let's goooooo!
(could have had more engines, but we settled for one maniple + support per player to get this played in one day)
I wrote a custom mission, seen in previous posts, emphasizing both sides' needs to advance towards the six points of interest (3 progressive Victory Point areas, three others for in-game advantages). Players could roll for reserves every round, bringing dead engines once more unto the field.
On the allegedly loyalist side, we had two Astorum maniples (Regia and Corsair), Ignatum (Precept supported by a psi-titan), Gryphonicus (Axiom) and Solaria (Mandatum supported by a Warmaster).
Facing this wall of steel was the wrongly accused Peoples' Heroes line consisting of Fureans (Venator), Krytos (Regia) and Favilla (Ferrox and Extermigus supported by a psi-titan), supported by four Banners of indentured Knights (8 Cerastoi and 4 Acastoi). Given the loyalists were up one player and five titans, I gave one of my knight Banners for each of the traitor commanders to even things a bit.
Given how I usually run extremely mobile danger close attacks with Ferroxes, it was a nice change of pace to lead a no holds barred super-heavy detachment as our anchor in the middle objective. The city center and the Fellblade depot were solidly in Favilla's hands.
The enemy left the middle rather uncontested, with only one Astorum maniple setting up against it.
The loyalists concentrated on their left flank, with three maniples and their psi-titan lording it over that side. Against them, the Ferrox and Venator groups were somewhat outweight'd even with their Cerastus allies.
At the traitors' left, Krytos faced the War Griffons who were boldly claiming targets left and right from the moment it all started, but soon had their plans trashed as over-eager Astorum engines jumped on their turf to escape the line of Favilla's Warlords in the middle.
While the first shots rang through the cool evening air, at the right flank traitors surged forwards and claimed the Death Guard's artillery battery for their aid and took positions along the road.
In the middle, Favilla marches through an anomalous gravity field to force the Astorum forces turn back and fight them while the first ENGINE KILL is sounded after Aetheris-Anathema, the psionic monster, has ravaged the lonely Ignatum warhounds looking for opportunities there. A beam of howling blackness rakes their hulls, bursting shield bubbles and opening targets for the other Warlords to kill. Another Hound and Reaver soon join the burning pile.
The Warbringer Contemptus Mundi has a rowdy spirit, which accidentally pushes it to step on one of the Fellblades, crushing it heedlessly.
The other tanks are swiftly shouted into action, led by Aurora Terribilis against the Astorum.
On the right, the loyalists are taking positions to swamp their protectorate with so much metal it's pretty much un-assailable for the rest of the battle. Sorcerous beams and massed fire start to take their toll on the light traitor forces, who lose multiple Warhounds and Knights in short order.
On the left side, after Krytos had spent inordinate effort in bringing down the shields of Astorum's Warlord Apparator and its supporting Hounds, for the time it seemed like the Gryphons had stormed the objective area long enough that the arrival of Solaria's Warmaster would all but seal its control for the loyalists. However, this was not to be due to the Peoples' Heroes enthusiastic allies. While the continuous rain of fire from the artillery had done its part, a dramatic air charge took place at the target as two Thunderhawks of the XIV screamed down by the ground.
Where there were loyalists, there soon lay three dead or burning Warhounds in the fliers' wake.
If only the Krytos' forces weren't currently wrestling with Gryphonicus Reavers nearby, they way would be open right this instant. As an amusing sidenote, the Apparator, Astorum Warlord that had resisted death for too long, died in glorius ignomity: a Krytos Warbringer shot it in the face with a Quake cannon, failing to cause any significant damage, but pushing it backwards against the Warhound Eclipsor who had been hiding behind it as a void shield battery. In the resulting series of collisions, the Warlord lost any remaining integrity it had in its bombed-out legs and fell on top of Eclipsor, burying it alive and silenced under the body of its giant sibling to the cheers of the artillerymen.
In the middle city, Favilla's uncontested reign was momentarily disturbed by a single Warhound, Dagon, who had been hiding behind one of the megastructures until this moment.
It sprinted behind Contemptus Mundi's shields and nearly melted its feet off before Iudex Ultionis stepped in from behind to kick it to the curb, but the plucky hound wasn't done yet. As the Warlord's foot crushed the brave little machine, its princeps smashed the red button to disengage all safeties. Raging against the dying of the light, its Lucius-forged reactor heart exploded like a miniature sun (automatic Meltdown with +5 to Scale). Their player then managed to consistently roll like 5 Str 12 hits bypassing shields all over the place, which managed to kill and further explode the injured Warbringer nearby while savaging both Iudex and Aetheris-Anathema near death's door.
The psionic monstrosity started regenerating immediately, twisted steel warping back to shape, but the position was suddenly a lot more precarious as Astorum's reserve Warlords started pouring in.
At right flank, while the loyalists held the numerical advantage, they had been effectively stopped in their tracks by the furious light maniples controlling some of the choke points in the area. While the incoming fire was heavy, Favilla's speartip managed to push through and Flagellum Dei charged like a thunderbolt. Unfazed by the storm of gatling fire peppering its armour, it crashed against the Astorum Reaver blocking its way. Disruption fields flickered and burst to life as its power fist tore through adamantium and punched out the heart of its victim, sending its silenced body flying headlong against the other Reaver behind it.
The rest was a blur. At left, Krytos held the ground against the Warmaster best as they could while their engines vaporized. At right, the loyalist advance was kept in check and no further gains could be had. In the middle, while Delictor Profectuum was lost to psi-fire and Ignatum's long range bombing, the renewed Astorum offensive could not finish off the wounded engines as much as they tried, the Ashen Gods seemingly watched over by some darker forces this day as the center burned around them.
By the battle's end, no clear victor had risen from the struggle while bleeding and burning engines of all colours littered the field here and there. VP's stood somewhere between 370-390, with the Peoples' Heroes edging a 25 point lead. With less than 10 % difference in the scores, a bitter tie would be a fine description for this grave of men and machines.
I was there and saw with eyes then young, how the Dream was torn asunder.
On the modelling front, I finally started making some killer robots. Bloat drones, being fast(er than the footsloggers...) and relatively punchy in combat, have been a thing on my mind for some time now. The Echoes don't use daemons and the default pose is a bit eh anyway, so off to the chopping board it was. With a bit cleaner look, they can be painted up as floating hunter-killer robots rather than daemonic cyber-flies. Now they're more like shrimp, perhaps
Well... this is the first time I've seen your blog and I liked the bat-rep. The added graphic effects to the photos were an especially nice touch. I also like that you chose the narrative style and stayed in universe while describing events. It's much more interesting than a play-by-play that acknowledges the existence of things like the dice...
brushcommando wrote: Well... this is the first time I've seen your blog and I liked the bat-rep. The added graphic effects to the photos were an especially nice touch. I also like that you chose the narrative style and stayed in universe while describing events. It's much more interesting than a play-by-play that acknowledges the existence of things like the dice...
Cheers and welcome to the blog, brushcommando
Existence of dice is the bane of my existence, given how players tend to leave them lying all over the table and removing those sneaky buggers from the photos is a whole project of its own as well
Sorry, late to the party Just read the bat-rep, cool stuff. I love all the shots and my favorite "scene" was the Engine getting a harmless shot to the head, tumbling backwards and colliding with a friendly Engine and then dying. I hope Benny Hill played while it happened
Thanks Viterbi, it was certainly an amusing turn of events
In other news, I've been having a blast with Kill Team. Looking at the latest White Dwarf with its Warpcoven shenanigans, it got me thinking about a little detour project (of which there certainly aren't many already...). Instead of Sorcerers leading Rubricae and beastmen, what about a technobarbarian witch coven with slaved robots and wretches? I've always had a soft spot for the dreg and scum of the galaxy, so it could be a nice little opportunity to channel some of that sweet Inquisimunda / Unification wars vibe. Got to see where the bitz box leads...
Sherrypie wrote: Thanks Viterbi, it was certainly an amusing turn of events
In other news, I've been having a blast with Kill Team. Looking at the latest White Dwarf with its Warpcoven shenanigans, it got me thinking about a little detour project (of which there certainly aren't many already...). Instead of Sorcerers leading Rubricae and beastmen, what about a technobarbarian witch coven with slaved robots and wretches? I've always had a soft spot for the dreg and scum of the galaxy, so it could be a nice little opportunity to channel some of that sweet Inquisimunda / Unification wars vibe. Got to see where the bitz box leads...
And so it begins, the first techno-barbarian mutant of the witch coven has been built. I really love the Mechanicus bits, the servitor sprue is really versatile for various weird builds.
With a bunch of dendrites and a suitably galaxy-brained head from a Helbrute, they're a suitably intimidating fella to kick this project off with.
This project is starting to get a distinctly radioactive taste of Unification Wars in my mouth. I like it, a dash of the Old Night makes one feel alive.
While the first philosopher king had a staff like the ancient Monkey who feared no man nor daemon, the second is an astute swordsman with power over time itself.
The third, the occult alchemist, wields a flame that burns the soul off of its victims.
Their servants range from the mindless to the devout. First, a barely sentient wretch that's only a scratch above the guns it carries:
The stim-addled thralls, lapping succour at the feet of their masters:
A champion, a courageous fighter who has bested a Null Maiden of the Thunder hordes at the behest of her sorcerous overlords.
Viterbi wrote: Great conversions and suitably grisly! Love how all the different kits mesh, even the Stormcast ones.
Thanks Vi, that's the joy in always converting everything
The Stormcast are funny, I don't particularily like any of their models as they are but their bits in isolation are wonderful. I got a handful of legs a couple of years back from a friend whose terminator conversions with them went nowhere and I've been hankering for a chance to find a use for them. My Death Guard won't use any artificer armour where they could be used, while a distinctively more insane strain of techno-barbarians could. It was just about finding a motivation for them, might do a couple more of these little warbands in the same vein if the idea strikes any sparks in my gaming circle.
Meanwhile, the crusade campaign continues and I needed one odd figure stumbling around the table so was motivated to start on the failed librarians. Here's some tentative pics of the first laddie who didn't wake up to his best day.
That is a fantastic conversion, I love everything about it. The cloven hoof/goat leg (that must have been hard to make!), the exposed spine, the hunched threatening pose, of course the daemonic blood-claw that is nicely set off by the bloodied power claw. Very well composed!
Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll wrote: That is a fantastic conversion, I love everything about it. The cloven hoof/goat leg (that must have been hard to make!), the exposed spine, the hunched threatening pose, of course the daemonic blood-claw that is nicely set off by the bloodied power claw. Very well composed!
Thanks Gwyn, posing is half the battle
The goat leg was part of the Gal Vorbak kit that I used as the base here, can't claim the authorship of that particular design. It is strikingly inhuman yet comparatively understated in context, I like it as well.
Boss Salvage wrote: Love 'im, the gory red flayed mutated hand is a great counterpoint to the lightning claw
Thanks Boss!
He's gonna get his grubby mitts on all the nice furniture, causing headaches for the less crazy brethren back in the crib should they ever care to tidy the place up
Cap'n Facebeard wrote: I really like the cultist with the shoulder pad / Helbrute face head from earlier, that's such a great idea.
Thanks Cap'n, cheap and cheerful tricks are surprisingly useful
Meanwhile, battle report time!
At the club our Crusade campaign has rolled along nicely, but people have been hankering for some proper narrative missions as well. While reading old White Dwarfs, I was inspired by a four scenario mini-campaign from 2011 where Black Templars were raiding a Necron tomb, intending to destroy the nexus keeping it operational (a free, immobile Monolith with power fields). This struck me as a rather fitting chassis for a battle in the narrative that had developed over our games thus far: my Echoes had stolen reactor technology, supplies and seized ground in order to fix their Falchion, Fourth Horseman, into operational condition. Naturally, our regular Tau enemies would see this not happening and soon, Commander Shadowsun would be leading a raid to stop such nonsense. There is no time limit in the mission, it depends solely on the fate of the fully armed and operational battle sta... tank! Called Operation Halifax by the attackers, it was time to embark. Death or glory!
It was also a wonderful excuse to use these beautiful Necromunda boards at the club! The WD mission was played on a 2' x 8' board, a perfect fit for the four 2' x 2' pieces we had.
Welcome to Under-Kumpula, where the XIV operate their secret garage deep in the heart of the artificial mountain that hive cities are. No tanks or drop troop reinforcements would make it in these depths without full-blown operational war raging outside.
As the first klaxons started ringing, Magister Hektor quickly deployed the proper defences into place.
Soon after, the Tau burst in through the front doors and overwhelm the outer patrols.
Squad Knutzen puts up a valiant fight, taking down one Broadside, but the numbers are too much and they fall under the weight of fire.
While the Horseman isn't moving yet, it's cannons are fully operational and the attackers are soon forced to duck for cover in the abundant nooks and corridors of the complex as a roaring beam of blinding light blasts through the main causeways with the fury of a thousand suns.
Spearheaded by the Riptide, the Tau remind the defenders of their long range capabilities and seriously dent the front armour of the Falchion. Galvanized by this realization, Magister Hektor leads the second line into a counter attack in force. The Riptide must fall and so it shall, eventually punctured by Hertz' Contemptor's lascannons after the drone swarm around it had been torn apart by his Leviathan brother Gödel.
By this point, Captain-Commander Erasmus has snorted his coffee up the wrong way in his office and quickly teleported in with his bodyguard, massively pissed off by this ruckus. As he appears next to the enemy firebase, he is greeted by the enemy suit commander and a faceful of fusion guns. Seemingly fuelled by pure anger, his force fields deflect all of the deathly rays harmlessly.
In return, Erasmus' melta finds it mark and he charges forwards over the smoking ruin of the Tau suit.
Mighty as he is, the Captain-Commander is but one man and the reinforcements are still far behind. Along with his bodyguard he is felled to Shadowsun's double Kay'on, soon followed by Gödel's massive form lit up by big guns.
The Tau force has however been somewhat depleted by this point, dealing with the headlong charge and being raked from afar by Hertz' long range support. Seeing their captain fall, Eberhard's veteran terminators surge forth under Hektor's protective spells and spell doom for the static firebase opposite. Mind-bullets and bolter rounds meet missiles and pulse fire as the terminators push through.
Arendt's linemen are too far to join the assault in time, but their support finds purchase in the Broadsides as they rush through the decrepid corridors.
While Hertz is sweeping the remaining Fire Warriors from the upper platforms, Eberhard's men show once again how the Wall of Stone denies death at every opportunity. Losing three men as they walk through fire, it is still over for the Tau when they get their claws on the suits. While the terminators rip Shadowsun and the last Broadside to pieces, Hektor is psionically throwing bodies around and smearing brains over the walls in contempt.
Though many have fallen and Erasmus needs new bionic organs (again), the Horseman is safe and the enemy threat neutralized.
Great batrep, that board is very cool!
Poor fishies I had a small Tau army a few years back, but no H2H capabilities killed them for me. I want to rush the enemy and they just can't do that.
Viterbi wrote: Great batrep, that board is very cool!
Poor fishies I had a small Tau army a few years back, but no H2H capabilities killed them for me. I want to rush the enemy and they just can't do that.
Cheers Vi!
They certainly do suffer in that regard. My Tau opponent here has some pretty potent Breachers for close range rushing, though of course their staying power is akin to a wet towel after they've roughed someone up. And certainly so when they go up against DG or similarly sturdy targets, who often don't have the courtesy to just roll over and die when hit
Eyy, why settle for starting when you can paint the whole group in one go instead!
Rise, horrors of the Old Night! Death to the False Emperor, for Terra belongs to the proper philosopher kings!
Whole gang, vibin':
The Three Kings:
Particularily happy with the psi-sword of the last fella.
Dancer of the Apocalypse:
Champion of the Lost:
Pew-Pew XIII:
Atomic Blyat:
Icon of Sin:
I'm very happy with how they tuned out, as well as always loving working with reds. The aesthetic chaos of the Unification theme is... tempting. Though this is only a off-the-cuff side project, it might lure me to continue under its siren song. After all, representing the Thunder Legions with counts-as Custodes teams wouldn't take more than a handful of models...
MobileSuitRandom wrote: Very cool, very grimdark. I like how all of them feel super dynamic, while each has their own momentum or let's say 'temperament'.
Thanks!
Temperament seems like a good descriptor, with some of these characters running blithely around like madmen (Champ), some lost in their own world (Dancer) or even expressing haughty disdain for the mere thought of being in danger (the King with a flamer) etc. After all, they are chaotic individuals closer to drug-filled ravers than a military unit with a plan
Was asked to take a few pics in terrain as well, so why not. I don't (yet...) have another Unification team, so enjoy some Crusade era imagery instead as the XIV legion runs into trouble while cleansing a non-Imperial human civilisation.
Wow, that gang is on fire... hopefully after someone told some battle sisters they are walking around freely (although that doesn't match period-wise, does it? ). Great work in conversion as well as painting!
Viterbi wrote:Wow, that gang is on fire... hopefully after someone told some battle sisters they are walking around freely (although that doesn't match period-wise, does it? ). Great work in conversion as well as painting!
Who knows what lurks in the dark corners of the galaxy, it's a big place after all and time is just a social construct in the grim darkness of the far future
Illumini wrote:Great action shots, the terrain is A+ as well
Thanks! Can't claim the honor for the club's excellent terrain here, but it's damn fun to use, that's for sure.
Getting pretty close to wrapping up 2021's hobby time, what with the holiday retreats creeping closer and away from the painting station.
The first feeling would be that I didn't achieve much on the hobby front this year, given half of it was spent in the Defence Forces, but let's tally what did get done. Plenty of gaming happened, though, which is always a plus (especially the very fun Titanicus mega-battle).
Built but unpainted:
- 9 Possessed librarius aspirants (40k)
- Lord of Virulence (40k)
- 2 Bloat Drones (40k)
Finished models: 98, more than I'd have thought if not exactly large numbers in these circles.
So I got another Epic army (Mechanicum) in working order, brought the older elements of the Echoes up to current standards while adding too many terminators in their ranks (again...), started an Instagram account (@sherrypiexiv) and expanded into Kill Team with a drive into Unification Wars territory that is bound to continue in 2022 with a handful of other such teams as well. At least some Thunder Legion troops with warriors and Null-Maidens, inbred hillbilly cannibals and some robotic monstrosities are already bubbling in my mind, so who knows how that'll shape up!
...so close to a hundred... maybe there is still time to paint a couple of things...
Gee, fine, I had to paint a couple more to bring the tally into a nice and round 100
Testing out some light OSL work and shading flesh purple with a couple more failed librarius aspirants. I think the purple offers some real nice avenues to get better at, especially with such tortured and beat up flesh.
Exemplary work on the technobarbarians Sherrypie. I like the metals, the cool extreme highlights on black really make them pop against the dominant reds. The skin is also excellent - the browns and orange sepia tones lend a sense of antiquity, but the pallid highlights brings it back to looking unnatural and disturbing. Perfect for an ancient period of 40k history.
The fleshy mutations on the Marines are also so great. Reminds me of The Thing.
The metals are a real learning area, I like the high contrast but know that I should try to incorporate more mid-tones in them to make the effect more realistic without sacrificing the striking feel. Painting skin, on the other hand, is just fun. Need to do more of that
Happy 2022, let's hope it'll be better than the previous bastard!
Opening this year on the Sherp-o-Station, we've got more technobarbarians coming right up. Can't have a proper struggle for the temporal mastery of a rad-blasted waste without a couple of teams at hand, eh? So to complement the more majestic witches of Ursh, the second group here will be more like a family of greasy rednecks inviting you to the barbeque party. You'll be the main course, of course.
Kid_Kyoto wrote: I just love a good kitbash. What are some of the parts? I see a lot of Adeptus Mech, not too sure about the rest.
Cheers. This crew is mostly based on Corpse Grinders, Arco-Flagellants, Kataphron and Electro-Priest parts with occasional bits from orks, spawns, marines and Afrika Korps jammed in there
I started out intending to use more Electro-Priests, but those buggers turned out to be too big for 25 mm bases (the team is ruleswise a GeneCult) and this ended up more rube-ish than technological body horror. But hey, now I've got the machine boyos waiting for the third team when my Unmade bits arrive... Body horror town, 'ere we come!
And 'ere we go with the Machine Madness. Enter the Circuit of holy madmen from the Church of the Insatiable Spark, ready and willing to beat some proper grace and divine mercy to the fair folks of the blasted wastelands. Ungrateful bastards, the whole lot, won't even flagellate themselves to bits nor flay themselves bare and skinless for the heavens to judge. Tsk, tsk.
Gameplaywise this octet will work as Harlequins in Kill Team, zipping all over the place like lightning, heedless of pesky terrain while somersaulting from one victim to the next with their esoteric disruption field weaponry.
Lovely Octet and if you want to stay on the theme of Eight, you may paint them in Octarin Great kitbashes and cool to know you have the rules already sorted out.
Viterbi wrote:Lovely Octet and if you want to stay on the theme of Eight, you may paint them in Octarin Great kitbashes and cool to know you have the rules already sorted out.
Where these guys are going, Color Out of Space would probably be more appropriate. Now how does one paint ulm again
youwashock wrote:Another wicked looking batch of minis. Awesome stuff.
Just been catching up on the last few pages. DG looking good as ever, love the failed librarians. Really enjoying the techno-barbarians, lovely builds and a really evocative paint job.
monkeytroll wrote: Just been catching up on the last few pages. DG looking good as ever, love the failed librarians. Really enjoying the techno-barbarians, lovely builds and a really evocative paint job.
Cheers, monkeytroll.
I'm aiming to get at least one of the newer technobarbarian teams painted during February for a casual painting competition, though the effort is getting thwarted by a desire to paint more Epic as well now that I've gotten to demo it a bit more for some prospective players in my area
As for that "more Epic", make some tiny engine noises as three adorable battlefield busses roll out. A quick afternoon job with a trio of Triarii for the Mechanicum.
Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll wrote: Always loved that art deco tank design, I wish they had a bit more of that look in the 40k Mechanicus vehicles.
Yeah, the 30k aesthetic of AM is indeed lovely. The currently produced 40k line is a bit more on the 1950's killer robot movie side of things and less on Jules Verne, which is a bit of a bummer.
Crusading on. While the Iron Warriors got a bit of a double-spanking in row from the XIV, they did however discover the famed wisdom of the Panzer of the Lake. Twice they drove their Predator to the shore only to have it blown up by Ancient Hertz' guns, but after all this it did learn to reroll 1's in the future
youwashock wrote: Lookit that hot Terminator on Terminator action. Great pics!
Cheers. The CSM codex can't arrive soon enough, the difference between the forces is really telling. Though it looks like the IW outnumber the Echoes badly, Eberhard's veteran squad absolutely tore any takers apart by the end.
Been a tough spring thus far, with personal and international crises on the rise, but I did finally manage to squeeze some painting in.
The Dancing Circuit of the Church of the Ravenous Spark, M29, dancing on the glowing ashes of Old Earth. Before their eventual demise before the Thunder Legions, their arcane mastery over reality-bending quantum field technologies was feared far and wide amongst the warlords of the era.
Vejut wrote:Like those skirts and the concept in general. The helmets are really cool too! Nice!
youwashock wrote:Those are LEGIT. Love the burning blades and eyes. The markings (star constellations?) on the cloaks are superb.
Hope life levels off for you.
Thanks Vejut and youwashock. I wanted the models to have some common esoteric signifiers on them to show that they come from a shared community, being a religious group after all. The scarred skin would have gotten too messy if I tried to go for tattoos, so the robes would have to do. I also like that the constellation symbols sort of resemble what you'd see on a circuit board (at least if one squints ), bringing their galvanistic worldview together.
Boss Salvage wrote: Amazing crew, really fearsome kitbash - and that's before the grim af paint and really wonderful robe freehand, plastered over with weathering
Cheers Boss!
Admittedly, there's no freehand but only some 100+ little Titanicus decals arranged on those robes... Legio Astorum's constellation markings felt suitably circuit board-y
Some long-time readers of this blog might remember that a few years ago I got hold of a bunch of abused Rhinos. One of them was ripped apart and changed into something completely different.
That poor tank has finally gotten the attention it deserved. Roll out, Scorpius '44!
I really like the silhouette of this brutalistic piece of work, though it is still sadly lacking the crewmen. Put a few marines toting lascannons and a mug of joe in there and it's a Plagueburst Crawler just as well
The paintjob is a sloppy one-day work, a literal toil of sweat and tears as I also attended a remote funeral of an old friend while preparing for the next day's game. Crying doesn't really help painting details, but hey.
As for that game, the '44 actually survived its first outing! While new model syndrome tends to strike anyway, in this particular case it was even more remarkable since it was a big 3000 point narrative game of urban defence where I was up against a constantly reinforced flood of enemies With a combined force of Iron Warriors and (Blue)Blood Angels crashing against OUR turf, the Echoes rose to the occasion and held out doggedly. Exploding tanks, maimed corpses and falling debris filled the streets, but by the blood-red sunset, the proud banner of skull and black sunburst still flew defiantly over the ruins.
Global problems pushed the intended Unification Wars campaign off earlier in the year, but it's looking better on that front again. So, in preparation for June's high octane rad-waste showdown, my objectives for May:
- paint the redneck cannibal crew
- build a Thunder Legion crew
- prepare a good amount of terrain for KT
Nachmund terrain is catching my eye, might have to get me some utility box buildings.
A pile of Nachmund plastic crack acquired, so that's progressing
Meanwhile, gaming!
In the aftermath of the repelled assault on the Death Guard city, siegemaster Aleksy of Iron Warriors is hounded by the vengeful scions of the XIV in the bombed out suburbs. The noose tightens around the Iron Warriors' position. The first wave of light tactical groups is driven off with a handful of losses, but the second charges in soon after with heavier terminator and psyker support. The IW terminators bear the first hit, but soon fall under the caresses of the half-man abominations sent against them. A larger counter-charge is attempted in the courtyard, but falters before the Death Guard's witchcraft while the previously wounded men fight desperately from their stretchers in a makeshift hospice as terminators barge through its walls.
With Aleksy and his men captured, there were some very favourable deals to be had with the Iron Warriors' factories later on in exchange for their sorry butts...
Viterbi wrote: Glorious battle shots and sounds like a fun game. But has no one ever told the commander that you don't come with a scion to a power armor battle...
Moar madness from the Old Night!
Bare-footed thunder warriors! Null Maidens! Hotshot enforcers of a smaller warlord!
This time I went mostly with Iron Golems, with some Krieg Veteran bits on the thugs for a bit more regular look. Sure they are just as backwards and insane as the previous posses, but with at least some semblance of an ordered society
Guardling wrote: Terrain looks very cool, any chance of a breakdown?
Nothing too fancy for these test bits:
- Primed with rattle cans. Solid chocolate brown, followed by zenithal beige and pale yellow. Not necessarily the most effective combo, felt a bit like grey with extra steps, but that happens every now and then.
- Drybrushed two or three times with light beige and bone. Keeping the brushstrokes downward helps with the rundown look.
- Base colours for details like wires and electrical boxes down before an indiscriminate brown washing. Metal bits are Hashut Copper and Nihilac Oxide, just to test and use up the random pots I got from one jobslot. Brown, likewise, was just some Army Painter crap that's so bad I don't want to use it on normal models.
- Lots of edge highlighting with Vallejo's Ghost Grey, my favoured not-quite-white.
- Watery pigments, mostly oxidized earth, over the walls.
Overall, some gradients in whatever beige-ish over brown drybrushed lighter and washed brownish again
Thanks youwashock and Boringstuff, being atmospheric is half the effort in this endeavour
Looking to get a piece or two more done tomorrow, which brings the current total up to one pretty full Kill Team board's worth. The second half will then be more in line with inside spaces, like ZM.
Another batch of buildings and walls for the M29 madness has been completed and I'm ready to take this pile for a ride. It should be enough for two Kill Team tables, given some more scatter terrain in addition. In some later day I'll have to paint a bucketload of that myself as well, but not today.
Abandon all hope, ye who enter! Death to the Lord of Lightning!
Guardling wrote:Wow that's a lot of cool work there!
Viterbi wrote:Great terrain that should make for very atmospheric battles!
Cheers Guardling and Viterbi. Gaming on this stuff has indeed been pretty great, and will only get better with more scatter terrain and ZM compatible bulkheads later on.
Talking about ZM, I might have gone and bought some stuff for Heresy 2.0 that may make an entrance towards the end of the year... we'll see how the autumn shapes up after the July rush at work clears
Edit:
Also, 100k views reached! Heartfelt thanks for everyone who has spent their limited time on this Earth looking at my dabblings. For that reason, I'll let you guys pick the first priority on the Heresy train:
Should my next work be a:
1. Spartan! Transports are cool!
2. Contemptor! More dreads is always great!
3. Infantry support with guns! Death Guard needs plenty of relentless firepower.
4. Infantry squad with fisticuffs! With access to rad grenades, Destroyers and what not for dirty tricks, we're ready to punch as well.
All comments taken to account over the next week and a bit
Amazing work!
amazing freehand. That must have took ages, great work. The whole mini is really stunning, great update to the plog!
I had a small Tau army a few years back, but no H2H capabilities killed them for me. I want to rush the enemy and they just can't do that.
With a combined force of Iron Warriors and (Blue)Blood Angels crashing against OUR turf, the Echoes rose to the occasion and held out doggedly. Exploding tanks, maimed corpses and falling debris filled the streets, but by the blood-red sunset, the proud banner of skull and black sunburst still flew defiantly over the ruins.
