Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

This project has very clearly gotten out of hand. What started as an Ork Terrain project has turned into a planetary campaign pitting Eldar, Ork, Humans and Chaos against one another in an epic battle to stop an ancient prophecy from coming to fruition... or bring it to fruition, depending on which side of the line you're on.

The setting - 88 Tanstar: a frontier world with an IG Navy Depot, an Eldar Exodite colony (Known as Ethildorin) and a growing Ork population. The planet is located in the Calixis Sector, near the Threnos Zone which is a forbidden zone consisting of 13 planets. Another point of interest in the sector is Komus, The Tyrant Star.

The Tyrant Star, as far as I can figure, is a doom prophecy. It is unclear what the Tyrant Star refers to, whether it is a Tyranid fleet, a Chaos horde or storm. Many scholars note a repeated use of the word “devour” in the prophecy text. The Inquisition has several agents in the sector, known as the Tyrantine Cabal, who are focused on this very issue. The Exodite's Farseer is also aware of the Tyrant Star by means of a rune casting done shortly after a Solitaire came to their colony. The Solitaire, too, knows of the prophecy - having access to the Black Library.

The Ork population is relatively small, early on in it's "infestation" of the planet. The major clan of the local inhabitants is the Snake Bite clan, although other clans have a fair representation. Most of the other clans come from orks that have been drawn to the planet by stories of giant teeth for the taking and huge caches of Imperial equipment just laying around. Some orks simply crash into the planet because the pilots of their Space Hulk got into a fight.

Some orks are attracted to the sector for wholly different reasons. Wortgob Gutsnik is one such ork. Having been captivated by a meks desire for gubbinz and bitz and new ways to get 'em, Gutsnik has spent the last few decades searching the cosmos for interesting and useful technology. His search has lead him to many a forbidden planet, off limits to all but the highest ranking Imperial citizens. His newest interest has become the Threnos Zone, wondering to himself what the Imperium might keep hidden on such a cluster of planets. His initial investigations found the Navy Depot struggling to stay operational against the constant threat of Ork assault. Unable to resist the potential treasure hiding within the Depot, and the glorious promise of giant teeth, Gutsnik teleports a section of his Mek Shop down to the planets surface, on the edge of Bigtoof near a Deffskullz Towing Company.

A time after the Solitaire arrives in Ethildorin, what remains of his troupe arrives to tell the story of their abysmal defeat at the hands of a fallen IG force. Harlequins not being the most adept at reading the future, they were unaware of the heightened danger they were walking into. The damned humans had climbed the demonic ladder quickly, hosting a horde of powerful warp-born beasts. Several of their strongest members struggled to keep the evil horde at bay while the remaining survivors could retreat and regroup. The Death Jester and Shadowseer were the last to leave, as their Troupe Master fought to his death. The Shadowseer was devastated by the loss, feeling the anguish of loss, the horror of the warp and the terror of overwhelming odds.

The last of the mimes were first to reach Ethildorin, contacting the Solitaire and relating the news directly. The Solitaire had already planned to recruit several members of the colony, as he had felt was destine, but he had not foreseen the extent of devastation to the troupe. Clearly, and shamefully, they had been surprised and out matched. It wasn't until the colony's Farseer explained her rune cast to the remnant troupe that the Solitaire and Shadowseer made the connection between their defeat and the Tyrant Star. And so it was put to the Ethildorin Counsel (the Farseer and her accompanying Warlocks), and together with the Harlequin, they formed a fellowship to stem the growth and ultimately defeat the prophesied Tyrant Star and the coming Chaos.

I like this idea a lot. . . good luck with it

Sounds like a fun project

Good idea man!

Like the idea. Good luck!

Great, never heard anything like it. Make sure you post it when youve finished. Good idea!!

This sounds totally awesome! I wish you luck with this idea.

Thanks, everyone.

I just wanted to post the map I worked up. This is most of the trukk stop, but there may be a few more things, like a snake bite tattoo parlor or something.

So is this gonna be a diorama? It has the makings of a nice sort of 'Home Field" game board for your army.

All the components on the map will be separate components, so I can field them in different arrangements if I want, but the idea is a home field.

I'm big into home field builds. I'm working on a night goblins mountain terrain home field table...

Well, I'm working on the goblins at least... will be again, soon!

This is a project that will get started late January or February next year.

... come to think of it, I already started on the foundry furnace. So, I guess it's already underway, but more as a minute here, minute there terrain project. I'll post some pics later on, I want to do a bit more to it first.

Awsome idea! I can see potentiol for some excellent saterical Fan Fiction in this! I would just want to see a little less urban planning. Like drop the Diner in the middle of the intersection or something totally off the wall like that! It's too organized and not quite 'Orkey' enough yet. I love this idea I have to say I'm most excited to see whay you're going to do with the fuel station.

I'm planning on some more humie organization at the trukk stop. This is do to the HQ Big Mek being from the Blood Axe clan. When he gets there, he starts setting things up his way. I'm going to use Dazzle Camouflage to paint the mek shop and some of the motor pool from the trukk stop (as opposed to vehicles from the gangs).

I'm going to fit some komandos in there too, also from the blood axes. Some Snake Bite boar boyz, and the foot sluggin mob, if there is one, will be Snake Bite boyz from the surrounding territories. I'll probably have a fancy motor home style battle wagon to represent the Bad Moons, but they might never see the table. I just think a bunch of orks in a motor home would be hilarious. Most of the Trukk boyz will be Death Skullz.

But the brains of the horde (this portion anyway) is the Blood Axe Big Mek, so there will be tactics and strategy. The Towing company will attack separately from, and after the rest of the horde, as they want to maintain the image of a legitimate towing company (not that their good at it). The Mek and his bodyguard of burners will target vehicles for parts. The Biker Gangs will engage first and target vehicles and anti tank bits.

Basically, the biker gangs clear the way for the Mek to pick and chose parts, and the Towing Co. plays cleanup. Throw in a couple of deffkoptas to get the first strike in and I'm set... I think. I've got a lot of collecting orks and p&ming to do before I can test my plans.

C&C welcome

I've been thinking about the Snakebite village that supports the trukk stop staff. It's not a very large town, more of an outpost for the local Snakebite family. So there might be some sort of Inn near by, or maybe just a large complex that the Diner staff occupy (but only one wing f it). I've been reading a copy of 'ere we go... of is it Waaargh Da Ork? I can't remember now, but the point is these books provide a fantastic amount of fluff for the orks. Including city planning stuff. Sounds like a crazy amount of twisting alleys and courtyards rapped around a central keep, where the boss lives. So, a feudal age city around a castle, but more adobe.

While the diner might not end up right next to the freeway, the side road will be right behind it. That is because the side road is more of a dirt road that has been worn into the earth from constant travel from the freeway to the kitchen. The diner was probably build after the road was evident, and simply took the place of the open kitchen that would have been there in the first place.

I'm gonna go with the Death Skulls having a big part in the creation of the diner, e.i. after a big scavenging score, the Death Skulls came upon the Snakebite family, roasting a boar or five and some squig, and decided to crash the party. The Death Skull boss challenged and defeated the Snakebite Boss, but through the course of the battle the Snakebite boss made a point of wrecking several of the Death Skull vehicles (having such a great disdain for technology as he did). So the feast began and the mek boys of the Death Skulls went to work.

Of course they had to cannibalize several vehicles to make a garage to make the repairs in. When they had finished there were only two trukks left, but these two trukks had been outfitted with chains and hooks and all the necessary gubbins with which to bring more vehicles back to repair for the rest of the gang. So, the two trukks went out to salvage vehicles, but they only ever returned with parts of vehicles. This suited the meks fine, but it meant they would need more time to finish the fleet and get the Death Skull pack back to the tribe.

As time went on, several speed freak cults passed them on the roadside. Some convoys would stop to get any last minute repairs before charging into battle, others to get stitched up after the brawl. And, not quite slowly, the Death Skulls and Snakebites, on opposite sides of the freeway, became known by the larger ork community in region as a fantastic pit stop just before a battle. They were on the way to most of the best battle grounds and you could get a bite and some mushrooms while yer gas tank was topped up, or whatever. They got you ready for the battle and fortified you for the rest of the far too long journey into the heat of it.

They eventually attracted the attention of a very good mekboy from the Blood Axes. Traveling back and forth, he would stay at the trukk stop longer and longer.After a battle he would wait at the trukk stop to see what treasures the Death Skull tow trukks would come back with. Eventually, and perhaps with advise from a human adviser, he set up shop at the trukk stop, and seemingly over night at that. He and his kommandos had built the largest mekshop for miles without disturbing a single ork. At least none were disturbed until the following morning, when they saw the huge warehouse.

Angered by the secrecy and quietness of this new installation the Snakebite and Death Skull familys stormed the building together. When the front of the mob reached the building the large wooden doors erupted in flames and exploded away from the building with a deafening roar, crushing and horribly burning several orks. As the mob came back together huge flames shot across the doorway in a large X, symbolizing the crossed axes of the Blood Axes.

As the burna boys stepped into sight, flamers spewing hot death overhead the mobs mood changed from anger to awe and excitement. They had begun to enjoy the fire show and forgotten all about the quiet construction that had taken place in the night. Suddenly the smokestacks on the side of the building belched a gargantuan cloud of thick black smoke, and the crackling of a fierce fire could be heard, and seen lighting the interior of the warehouse.

As the show dwindled down some of the Snakebites noticed smoke rising over the horizon. Anxious for a chance at more parts the Death Skulls clammered to their trukks and sped off. And with that, the mekshop was a part of the trukk stop. Everyone forgot about the unorkyness of it's construction and went back to their toils. A few hours later the Death Skulls returned to their garage with an imperial tank.

And that's all for now. Gotten get to work, painting the bathroom.

I can't decide about the gas station. I kind of want the kommandos to run it from hiding. A couple of cameras posted to watch for kustomers, the station attendants popping out from nowhere to fill the tank, or having the gas pump come up from the ground through a secret hatch. But that just doesn't sound orky enough.

I still like the cameras, tho.

I feel like the Death Skull Towing company should have had a gas station before the Blood Axe mek moved in, too. So they should have a gas pump. But do they just have one that they fill up their trukks with, and the occasional kustomer, or do they have a more substantial gas station?

Or, as a third option, does the towing company sell gas by the can/barrel/jug? Then the kommandos open a real gas station as competition, like when there are two different gas stations right across the street from one another out in the middle of nowhere. Anyone else eery drive past one of those exits? It could be like that too.

What do you think Dakka? Help me decide. Thanks.

I'm working on the back story for a gang of moped riding Kroots to be allied with the Blood Axe Big Mek.

So far, the story goes like this:
A while ago... the Big Mek was the favorite mek of a powerful Blood Axe warboss. The tribe encounters a Tau force. The fight is great and the orks win, but the warboss is killed. In the fight, the Big Mek and his burna boyz come upon a unit of kroots that is ravenously devouring some fallen warriors ( I'm thinking the kroot would be eating dead ork, tau and even dead kroot... but I need to do a bit more reading before going into that). They enjoy the site of the feast so much that they decide to befriend the kroots as mercenary allies.

As the warboss was killed in battle the next strongest ork takes over. This new warboss is not of the mind that trading with humies is ok for any reason (smash the humies then take their stuff), so he casts the Big Mek out. The Big Mek sets the Kroot up with some thrown together vehicles to get them out safely with the rest of his house. Then, after he rebuilds his workshop somewhere else, he builds them better bikes, but not better than the bikes he made for orks.

The Kroot were quit happy with the smaller bikes (the mopeds) though. They could maneuver the mopeds more easily. They were even able to move through rather tricky obstacles without slowing down. They became very adept at using cover to muffle their approach, then their location was known, they would blast out from between the trees and race toward their target, bobbing and weaving to avoid incoming fire surprisingly well.

In return for the mopeds, the kroots help secure tau and other tech for the Mek. Mainly by flanking around an entire army for a surprise raid on the command post. When they work in conjunction with the Mek's commandos... let's just say, both Tau and IG are whispering about the strange effectiveness of sneaky orks and mobile kroot.


That's all for now. Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
The gas station is run by the Big Meks household, while the Towing Company has a stock pile of fuel, in barrels and cans and the like.

The towing companies fuel supply is salvaged from wrecked vehicles and "abandoned" camps.

The gas station, on the other hand, is getting their fuel from an IG connection, maybe, or just from who ever will supply it. That would be most of their work: finding a source... which would include the towing companies stock pile from time to time. Arousing an appropriate amount of contention.

I'm almost done assembling the Snakebite settlement. I'll post a pic of it here when it's all together. Then it's onto the towing yard, but first: a few additions to the roster.

As per a couple suggestions in the p&m blog, I've decided to add a Bad Moons "ammo dump" and an Evil Sunz "fuel dump". (not quoted for truth)

The ammo dump will be more of a big box store, where you might find ammo, weapons and ready made upgrades for yer ride or weapons.

The fuel dump will be the gas station. The only real change here is it is no longer run by the Blood Axe household. Instead, it will be run by an Evil Suns chemist. I'm not sure yet if a chemist is best represented by a mek or a wierd boy, but I'm leaning toward the wierd boy... There are already so many meks at the trukk stop. He'll be an odd boy of some sort at any rate. And he'll have some boyz to tend to kustomers.

I'm not going to give all my (planned) trukks a red paint job because they wouldn't all be getting to the fight first... My tactics aren't aiming for a win as much as they are aiming for fluff. We'll see how well they work, some day.

The tow-trukks, for instance, are meant to arrive late. Showing up on the scene to retrieve already busted vehicles, or just showing up late because they just got the call. So, no red paint for them... but that may change.

I haven't decided if the Big Mek's vehicles will get red paint. They probably will.

Anyhow, if you have thoughts on what kind of oddboy the fuel chemist should be, lemme know. All other suggestions, comments and criticism welcome.

Thanks for reading.

Sounds like a great idea, I think that a notorious Burna boy would make a cool chemist considering he deals with burny stuff all the time.

I like it. Mek with a Burna it is! and he'll be on a bike... I think, so he can ride along side his kustom Scorcha Warbuggies. His grot attendant will have a bit of a chemistry set, so the mek can make on the go alterations to his fuel concoctions.
Thanks person person

Ok, so-

I like the buggies going with the Evil Sunz gas station. After seeing the featured army profile on the home page, that of the ADR desert naval fleet, I was inspired to include a traveling circus unit. So the Flash Gitz might be getting that one, since I was going to bring them in with big gunz in the fluff. The "Pirate Lobbas" is the inspiration here, if a desert naval fleet doesn't suggest a carny troop obviously enough. (a little sarcasm there, just a little though ;P)

Just a thought, still. I'll read a bit more about the Flash Gits and decide if they could be carnies... might just be big gunz with acrobatic grots and freakish squigs. It would be a fun side project at any rate, but not high on the list. -OOO- I've got it, the big gunz and the SAG mek will make up the circus. More on that later.

Now for a little more about the Big mek and how he holds power and influence at the trukk stop:

After averting destruction via impressing, then detracting the angry mob of locals, he farther enhanced their idolization for him by constructing a large wagon, themed to fit the Snakebite locals. He gave it to them for free, granted he demanded their grots help build it. All of the grots that survived the construction were then not allowed to return to the settlement, instead they were tricked or otherwise brain washed to stay and help the mek.

Throw his work with the Runtherds of the settlement, he learned of an esoteric method of training grots and snots which was said to develop their abilities well beyond the average runts. He began to encourage the runtherds to take on this rarely heard of method of training. Most of the runtherds just laughed at him, saying it was a ridiculous myth and grots were already as tough as they could be. Only one ork seemed interested in the idea. Indeed, he had brought the method up before, with the other runtherds, only to be laughed at and beat up. With the encouragement of the new boss in town, he left his hovle in the settlement to join the Big mek at the shop and began training the previously mentioned grots in the proscribed method.

Soon, relatively speaking, the mek had his own unit of Storm Grots, refered to as super grots in the lore of the method. These super grots were capable of recruiting other grots to help build the meks designs as well as increase disobedient behavior within the settlement for strategic means. This is but one of the ways the Big mek keeps control of his new tribe.

As always, thanks for reading, and please leave a comment.

Reading a bit of old fluff, the Kult of Speed would make roller coasters and other fun rides. So, there's the traveling circus.

OK. Thanks to Metallifan the settlement has a name and a reason for existing, which I will relay to you via some fluff shorthand, mixed with some editors notes.

A Snakebite tribe was wondering through a small mountain range on the ork held side of a great battle ground when they came upon a giant snake. The warboss and his nobs dropped their shields and rushed it. They made no effort to block the snakes bite, taking the poison as a sign of their toughness. Only one died, as he was crushed against a tree byt the serpents mighty tail. One nob was bitten in half but refused to die. Choosing instead to grab hold of a fang and suck the poison from it like so much blood from a cadian's leg.

After they killed the gigantic creature the Warboss, his nobs and the wierd boyz drank from the poison glands. A great pool formed around the waist of the halved nob, from which a few brave grots drank. Soon, a bad doc came by to check on them, and stitch up the half-a-nob. Shortly there after, a dispute broke out over who would be getting which teeth from the grand maw. The doc backed away with one fewer grots and the Warboss had his boyz and grots build a house around the head, "to protect dem big teef."

As the rest of the tribe eat from the body of the snake, they build shelters around where they sat. The snake fed them for many a sun, and the small town of Bigtoof was born.

Word of the gigantic teef that could be found in and around Bigtoof spread as news of the legendary serpents teef got out. Soon a family of Deff Skull lootaz showed up and built their base camp for salvage runs from the battle ground, touting themselves as a legitimate towing company for the less fortunate in battle.

As more orks came to town looking for giant teef, the Snakebites became more convinced there were more gigantic snakes in the surrounding hills. Feeling the natural urge to protect ones heritage, they set about hunting them so as to stop any nefarious un-orky, non-snakebite gits from killing 'em first and getting dem big teef.

After hunting parties failed to find any snakes bigger than three boyz, they took to more drastic measures. The two factions decimated the landscape, burning the forests down to flush out the snakes. The other creatures flushed from the forests were captured and used for food or labor. Some of the creatures are kept as pets. The Runtherds quite enjoy breeding some of the strange creatures, keeping other wise extinct species alive for generations.

A small Bad Moonz house sets up a bank branch in Bigtoof, thinking it will make his fortune and his house will grow with power and prestige. Of course, since no other "big teef" are found, the branch does not gain in fame or wealth. Instead the house and branch are relatively forgotten about out side of Bigtoof. An enterprising Runtherd from the Snakebite tribe in Bigtoof trains his grots to brew several different kinds of fungus beer and opens a bar. While another opens a diner, having trained his grots to cook a mean squig burger, grill a side of boar, or toss a mushroom salad.

Word reaches a Big Mek (hailing from the Blood Axe clan) that has recently lost his ties to a powerful warlord (that is, the warlord that liked him died in battle). Recently is a "kinda" word here, as in "kinda recently" I might come up with some exploits that take place between the two (like leaving the planet of the warlord and coming to the planet that has Bigtoof on it).

At any rate, he sends in a lone kommando to check the place out, fix it up a bit for him. Enter: the Ork with no name. This kommando quite easily destabilizes the two powers in town and the Big Mek moves in and takes over quite smoothly. (read above)

Once the Big Mek has his shop in order business in Bigtoof picks up a bit. Orks stop off to get last minute upgrades on their shootaz,, have their cybork parts fine tuned. More trukk boyz saw the towing company and radioed back to them more often, and the diner and bar were packed for weeks before the big push- I mean WAAAGH!

Soon enough newer businesses were opening. A gas station/oil refinery opened, run by a burna-centric Evil Sunz Mek. A band of Flash Gits opened a store to sell off their older gear, upgrades all the same for yer every day boy. Maybe a squad of Storm Boyz set up a barricade near Bigtoof so they can have a ready supply of food... we'll see, I like those models. It could turn into a full on air strip...

Ok, I have to stop. This is gonna be a metropolis soon, and I don't have enough room as it is. ...Nah

The Good Green wrote:
Ok, I have to stop. This is gonna be a metropolis soon, and I don't have enough room as it is. ...Nah

Yay! I helped! I love it

Also: Start putting up shelves. Each shelf could be a diorama of street activities. Plus, it can double as a very Orky christmas village during the holidays!

Shelves are a most, but I have a cat that likes to jump on things that are delicate. So a protective cage might be in order... around the minis, of course.

I do have plans to install a bookshelf in one corner of my room already (to replace my overburdened "ikea" bookshelf). So some of that space will be dedicated to the hobby. I guess I might actually have to finish that project before this one...

And for any of you that are sticklers for past/present grammar, thanks for holding yer tongues. I try not to have a solid handle on time, and it shows in my writing.

The Good Green wrote:Shelves are a most, but I have a cat that likes to jump on things that are delicate. So a protective cage might be in order... around the minis, of course.

I do have plans to install a bookshelf in one corner of my room already (to replace my overburdened "ikea" bookshelf). So some of that space will be dedicated to the hobby. I guess I might actually have to finish that project before this one...

And for any of you that are sticklers for past/present grammar, thanks for holding yer tongues. I try not to have a solid handle on time, and it shows in my writing.

Do what my buddy's bro did. Run two - four pieces of thread along the front of the shelves and pull them tight in an X (or pair of X-es) Then tie it off on some hooks. (Tape, incl. Duct Tape, will just peel off on impact). When the cat goes to jump up, it'll smoke it's face on the string and it'll act like a sort of wrestling ring rope system. Cat gets flung, minis stay safe. Assuming the cat isn't grossly overweight that is.

Me, I have no where to tie off some thread. So I feel your pain, as my cat jumped up onto the shelf that carried ~1900 points of marines and pushed a bunch off the 7ft high shelf so she could sit on it.

I recently acquired two old weird boyz, that are rather awesome... in a simple way. They are toned down compared to the new weird boyz.

I'm going to paint them in a Batman and Robin color scheme. Classic TV costume colors. We'll see how well they come out. I've got my doubts... I have trouble with a weird boy in dark clothes. Then again, I think it would work with the background and how I'll be playing them (more on that in a moment). To match their names: Squigman and Snotling, I was thinking of painting them in red and green, respectively. I have trouble picturing how well green clothes are gonna look on a green skin tho. We'll see, I'm going to try the black and grew/red and yellow scheme first.

On to I don't think they'll see much game play, but for bigger games, I'm working on a special rule for the pair. They will rarely be fielded together, opting instead to hold one or the other in reserves. Squigman going in as HQ, then Snotling being carried in by some boyz... OR Snotling going in as a distraction, taking on bigger foes or something, trying to be an attractive target, then Squigman storms in to rescue him.

I dunno, I'm still toying with the idea, working out the kinks. Let me know if you have any ideas about it. I'll try to get pics of them up in the P&M blog as soon as I rough in the colors. Also, if you haven't already, check out the truck cab I am working on for the Big Mek's BW.

Batman and RobOrk?

Green, you're like Jeebus, only cool

*in progress*

Gutsnik was always a thinker, a tinkerer, but he had his mind on more than the workings of his latest invention. He thought about other cultures, how other creatures serviced and prospered. That many did not cherish fighting puzzled him to no end, enraging his curiosity. He has adopted a hand full of other creatures and traditions that turn most orks stomachs.

The Kroot under his employment weather fairly well in ork kulture, being ravenous carnivores, they are a fun site for orks at feeding time. The super grot training method is vigorously frowned on by all but the most individual runtherd. Those that like the idea, even a little, are hired on quickly.

The super grots themselves are organized into teams, much like the Imperial Guards squads. This intricate chain of command is another aspect of Wortgob's lifestyle that most orks abhor. That he makes some of the 'urtiest and most useful gear around gets enough orks to hold their tongue around him. His Dreadnought Powerklaw keeps the rest quiet.

***

I have been wanting to put down some more fluff about Gutznik. Something that gets into why he uses super grots and kroots and IG tactics and so on. He is a very Odd Boy. I want to have something about him cutting his own belly open to look at his worky bits, or patching his gut with steel after beating an opponent in a pit fit to defend his strange ways.

You should write some fan fiction about the town and inhabitants. Desperate Ork-wives
But seriously, fan fiction would be great.

NightWAAAAAGH on Elm Street?

this is a great idea.

pics will be a must.