The Tanith First and Only

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**Anidem**

Wow Dakka

, you guys are aresome.

I'll definatly be picking up the Tanith models from GW, and base/model/color my army around them.

pretre wrote:
Ogiwan wrote:Yeah, despite what others may say, you really can't make a Tanith army (or Light Infantry army) with the current Guard 'dex. You can get camo cloaks on your vets, sure, but there's no way to get infiltrate or move through cover on troop choices. Or on anything that isn't a Stormtrooper.

Umm.

CCS (Corbec, Rawne, etc )
Lord C (Gaunt)
Ratling x2 (Snipers, larkin, etc)
Marbo (Mkoll)
Vet x2 with Forward Sentries, Flamer and ML (F&O Normal Squads)
Vet x1 with Forward Sentries Sniper x3 and ML (F&O Scouts)
Vet x1 with Demo, MG, etc (Verv Siege Specialists)
Infantry Platoon x2 with PCS, PIS, SWS, HWS, etc (Verv and Belladon or 'front line' tanith units)

Not all of the TF&O should have Infiltrate and Move through Cover. The Tanith are noticeably more 'stealthy' than Verv and Bella but not as good as the scouts. Scouts and 'Pure Tanith' would be Vets/etc.

Also, in most books and campaigns, TF&O doesn't work alone. You can easily incorporate some of the armored elements as 'allied elements' or even just leave Tanith as the Ratling/Marbo,Vet with Forward and have Vets with Carapace as the Bluebloods, LRBT as the Armored units, Artillery as etc.

Thank You! I've been wondering where to start this list build so i can start picking up models.

gpfunk wrote:In the later Omnibus' there is some mention of the tanith first and only working with a regiment of heavy armor. I won't give anything away as this is in the last few books of the whole series. But you could always add some leman russ battle tanks from that regiment or even the artillery unit that they met during the confrontation with chaos cults that had the serpents on the barrels.

Either way, you could slip in a tank or bask, as both those units came to love and respect the TFaO.

Of course, if you're going pure tanith, the only big explosions youre going to be getting are from tread fethers, i.e. missile launcher teams. Oh, and tube charges. Demo packs anyone?

I've noticed the Ghosts are rather spammy with their Det. Packs, though several times i've read they have worked side-by-side with another regiment with some armor, Chimeras have popped up here and there along with 'Russes

Emperors Faithful wrote:As other posters have already stated any armour that would be fielded in your army would be from alllied regiments (which the IG codex explicitly states is not uncommon and there are great examples of this in Gaunts Ghost).

Feasibly if you replaced the helmets with bare heads and used green stuff for the camo cloaks you'd end up with some very nice looking Tanith.

Don't forget to make Dorden your medic, and include a couple of female troopers. (Have you read past Necropolis?)

Ugly Green Trog wrote:hmm i dont think the rambo style muscles suit the tanith though, I would go with cadian torsos with catachan legs as it does say that the tanith wear matt black fatigues and body armour whereas the catachans wear none, heads could go with a mix of some beardy empire/bretonian heads for some of the tanith as they need a more wild look, mixed in with some bare guard heads/catachan heads for the rest of the regiment, I know max-mini also does some beret heads, the Tanith wear their forage cap almost always over their helmet.

actually most of the GW tanith models i've seen have exposed head and arms (With the exeption of Gaunt, whom is weaing is comissar's uniform under a cloak) chest armor, and a camo cloak.

I was originally thinking Catachan arms and heads with Cadian torsos and legs and using each sides snipers as "counts as" for ratling snipers (a full sized human with a camo cloak looks better than a modeled midget IMO)

Ugly Green Trog wrote:There is one mention of them having a regimental standard, aboard one of the big floating things in the Guns of Tanith I think. I dont believe it is ever carried or unfurled in battle however, It was described as black with the tanith crest in silver IIRC. So you could just about get away with using one,

Well the Regimental standard is actually simple:
Its three daggers crossed with their tips pointed down (like an 'X' with a | though it) with a skull centered over it with a banner underneath saying "For Tanith For the Emporer".

Though i hear everyone broke two of the dagger's hilts off on their insignias.

**dullblade35**

Sorry forgot about that

Trying to think of more referances towards the books atm

Brostin!! (best ever flamer guy)

**Darkmoonlight**

Ugly Green Trog here, posting at a friends:

Yeah i know how the GW models look, I personally am less than in love with em, I was going by the fluffy appearance of the tanith from the books.

with reguards to the headgear all tanith are issued with a helmet (cadian style or simillar) a forage cap/beret they often choose not to wear their helmets however.

I just hate the catachan arms, the tanith are described as lean and wiry muscled not im the ex governor of california muscled.

**Sckitzo**

Thread inspired me to try my hand at making another Army list, few years ago I started converting a army over, then lost interest. Good news is I had picked up about 12 of the metal Ghosts and the Command squad. I think I need to reread the books though as I've forgot so much.

Looking over that list, and who is alive and who is dead, I think I'll go for just a Fluffy Army, but not be to particular as to when. As there is a few characters I want to put in, but are died at different points. Unless someone can recall a point in time, when the The Army was at it's current standing (as of Blood Pact) but without the deaths of
MAJOR FRIGGIN SPOILERS

Spoiler:

MAJOR FRIGGIN SPOILERS

I like the idea of using the Tanith born as VT, with the other guys as 1 or 2 IP's. So something like this, note this would be a fluffy army, as I really only play friendly games (and lose all the damn time anyway

)

I did a list up in Word, it's pretty damn long, but I named who ever I could. You'll see I took a few liberties with where I put people, but honestly, I doubt anyone beyond the biggest fluff lawyer would really care. It came out at 1560 points, But I gave everyone I could a power weapon and melta bombs. Power weapon, to sort of justify the squads skill with the Straight Silver, and the melta bombs, well because they seem to all have one. I think every unit has at least 1 sniper in it, I took a few Plasma Vets (I think some of them carried those, maybe meltas?) And I took a mix of Missile Launchers and Autocannons.

I think to name the rest of these guys, I'm just going to have to reread a few books (when I get em back, lent em out) and yank random names.

Anyway, the list that I put way, way to much thought into. Feel free to comment, fluff wise or quality wise. I could bend a bit on the fluff, but I'd rather have a weak list then completely throw it out the window.

Spoiler:

**purplefood**

@Sckitzo

Spoiler:

**M'Kachen's Nemesis**

Actually, now that I think about it there was a Gaunt's Ghosts army list published in White Dwarf (I think) along with the rules for the models they made a while ago: that mean's 3rd edition.

Army wide special rules (to make up for the fact you only have light infantry):

Camo-cloaks for everybody
Never lost: any tanith unit may re-roll failed reserve rolls
Infiltrator USR for everybody
Tanith knives: every officer and sergeant count as having a "signe particulier" (don't know the english translation), basically the squad may re-roll failed moral and pinning tests but if the officer/sergeant dies than it must pass a moral test or flee.

HQ:
Gaunt and Company Command Squad (Gaunt and all the characters from the box set plus the chapter approved characters by Phil Kelly)

Elites:
0-2 Hardened Veterans of Tanith (as Codex: Catachans, 3rd edition stuff of course)
0-2 Master Snipers of Tanith (again, as Codex: Catachans)

Troops:
Infantry Platoon of Tanith (3rd edition Codex: IG)

Hope that helps.

**pretre**

M'Kachen's Nemesis wrote:
Tanith knives: every officer and sergeant count as having a "signe particulier" (don't know the english translation), basically the squad may re-roll failed moral and pinning tests but if the officer/sergeant dies than it must pass a moral test or flee.

I believe this was Signature Item in the english codex.

**M'Kachen's Nemesis**

pretre wrote:
I believe this was Signature Item in the english codex.

You must be right as it's the translation of what I wrote. Thanks to you!

**Sckitzo**

@ purplefood

Spoiler:

purplefood wrote:I believe this was Signature Item in the english codex.

Pretty sure your right, IIRC it was things like cigars and swagger sticks. I think I actually have the chapter approved with the old list in it but trying to convert it over...ughh

**Anidem**

Is one week thread necro?

Well, i crunched your list Sckitzo and i think i'd love to run with it

Spoiler:

though i swaped sehra for Mad-Lark on the command squad.

still, even liberally giving as many upgrades, camo-cloaks, as possible, i can bearly break 1500points as you said.
So, how could i push the point bar higher, while still keeping to the Fluff?

Clearly i could get Armor in the form of transports and artillery, but whose regiment would the tanith 'borrow' them from? and how much becomes too much at that point?

**Sckitzo**

Anidem wrote:Is one week thread necro?

Well, i crunched your list Sckitzo and i think i'd love to run with it

Spoiler:

HQ:
Lord Commissar - Gaunt

CCS
Senior Officer - Colm Corbec
Vox - Trooper Mikal Dorden
Medic - Dorden
Regimental Standard - Trooper Milo
Sniper - Mad Larkin

Elite:
Guardsman Marbo - Mkvenner

Troops:
VS 1
GSgt Harker - Try Again Bragg
Vox - Trooper Loglas
Heavy Flamer - Trooper Aongus Brostin
Flamer
Sniper - Sehra Muril
Missile Launcher -

VS 2
Mkoll
Vox- "Lucky" Bonin
Sniper - Rilke
Sniper - Nour
Sniper - Cocoer
Scout Trooper Heqta Jajjo
Scout Trooper Baen
Scout Trooper Caober
Scout Trooper Bonin
Scout Trooper Hwlan

VS 3
Maj. Rawne
Vox - Murtan Feygor
Flamer, Plasma,
Sniper - Leyr
Missile Launcher
Trooper Dalin Criid

VS 4
Capt. "Shoggy" Domor
Vox,
Sniper - Rhen Merr
Flamer
Plasma
Autocannon

IP 1- Verghast
CS
JO - Major Gol Kolea
Commissar - Hark
Standard,
Vox - Trooper Derin
Medic -Ana Curth
Sniper - Nessa Bourah
Trooper Lijah Cuu

Squad 1
Sergeant - Tona Criid
Flamer-
Missile Launcher
Vox

Squad 2
Sergeant - Agun Soric
Sniper - Doyl
Autocannon -
Vox - Trooper Vivvo

IP 2 - Belladon
CS
JO - Major Baskevyl
Commissar - Ludd
Standard, Vox,
Medic - Lesp
Sniper - Jessi Banda

Squad 1
Sergeant - Dermon Caffran
Flamer- Trooper Aongus Brostin
Missile Launcher
Vox

Squad 2
Sergeant - Ceglan Varl
Sniper - Scout Trooper Wes Maggs (With Jaw)
Autocannon -
Vox - Trooper Ifvan

though i swaped sehra for Mad-Lark on the command squad.

still, even liberally giving as many upgrades, camo-cloaks, as possible, i can bearly break 1500points as you said.
So, how could i push the point bar higher, while still keeping to the Fluff?

Clearly i could get Armor in the form of transports and artillery, but whose regiment would the tanith 'borrow' them from? and how much becomes too much at that point?

I can't recall who they borrow armor from off the top of my head, I seem to remember one book where they were escorting a squadron of Basilisks though, that would add some points very easy. One squadron of 3 with cammo netting bumps it up to 2025pts.

Started thinking about Valks, anyone ever recall them being dropped off with these? Might break to fluff to much though if you have to stretch it out that much. I think I remember something about working with allied ST's as well, but cannot for the life of me remember who they were.

**pretre**

They used valks briefly in the book where they defend the 'haunted' outpost.

**purplefood**

The Valks were for re-supply but they could easily be used elsewhere...

Spoiler:

The Ketzok Serpents were the artillery regiment they also owe the Ghosts heavily ever since they were told to bombard them after they had pulled out of a city.

**Perkustin**

Does Gaunt die at the end like Sherlock Holmes?

**purplefood**

Perkustin wrote:Does Gaunt die at the end like Sherlock Holmes?

Spoiler:

**Anidem**

purplefood wrote:The Valks were for re-supply but they could easily be used elsewhere...

Spoiler:

Maggs isn't a sniper he is a scout so you might need to change that if its's important to you. Merrt is the one with the jaw

The Ketzok Serpents were the artillery regiment they also owe the Ghosts heavily ever since they were told to bombard them after they had pulled out of a city.

ty for that, and you have no idea how close i came to clicking the above spoiler. . .

i wouldnt mind a few chimerias, im trying desperately to play this as a pure fluffy army instead of a competitive one (hence no Creed, 'Russ Demolishers, or manticores unless they popped up in the story)

**purplefood**

Anidem wrote:
purplefood wrote:The Valks were for re-supply but they could easily be used elsewhere...

Spoiler:

Maggs isn't a sniper he is a scout so you might need to change that if its's important to you. Merrt is the one with the jaw

The Ketzok Serpents were the artillery regiment they also owe the Ghosts heavily ever since they were told to bombard them after they had pulled out of a city.

ty for that, and you have no idea how close i came to clicking the above spoiler. . .

i wouldnt mind a few chimerias, im trying desperately to play this as a pure fluffy army instead of a competitive one (hence no Creed, 'Russ Demolishers, or manticores unless they popped up in the story)

I spoilered t just in case but it was a correction about one of hte names above...
If you haven't read that far ahead you are likely to be more confused rather than anything else.

**Sckitzo**

purplefood wrote:The Valks were for re-supply but they could easily be used elsewhere...

Spoiler:

Maggs isn't a sniper he is a scout so you might need to change that if its's important to you. Merrt is the one with the jaw

The Ketzok Serpents were the artillery regiment they also owe the Ghosts heavily ever since they were told to bombard them after they had pulled out of a city.

Thanks for spotting that

not sure how I screwed that one up. Who is Maggs again? Man I need to reread these books, Horus Heresy first though.

**purplefood**

Sckitzo wrote:
purplefood wrote:The Valks were for re-supply but they could easily be used elsewhere...

Spoiler:

Maggs isn't a sniper he is a scout so you might need to change that if its's important to you. Merrt is the one with the jaw

The Ketzok Serpents were the artillery regiment they also owe the Ghosts heavily ever since they were told to bombard them after they had pulled out of a city.

Thanks for spotting that not sure how I screwed that one up. Who is Maggs again? Man I need to reread these books, Horus Heresy first though.

Spoiler:

**dullblade35**

Decided to give my vets a Gaunts ghosts feel about them, black fatigues green cloaks, is there any mention of hoods? i would have thought so ....

**Anidem**

dullblade35 wrote:Decided to give my vets a Gaunts ghosts feel about them, black fatigues green cloaks, is there any mention of hoods? i would have thought so ....

none actually, just the cloaks, few wore head covering/helmets/caps but the only few that actually went head-to-toe concealment where the master snipers such as Larkin.

and looks like valks will be the way to go, esp since i think they are scouts too

**Wyrmalla**

On the book covers there is the odd Ghost wearing their cloak over their heads btw-they're always tearing bits off of their cloaks in the novels so it can be assumed that there's a lot of cloth to them....ie in Traitor General Gaunt was able to quite effectively cover himself and...thingy...up with his own cloak. =P

Yup, just make the Valks part of the Phantine airforce, or if your working from later novels, part of the sizable crusade transport corps-in His Last Command there's always flights of crusade Valks flying overhead transporting troops, supplies etc.

Oh and you could always stick in the odd autocannon into your force-with the vet's higher BS and all-, as they make great weapons against most opponents, as the ghosts do use Light Machine Gun equivelants in small numbers if you didn't know. ^^

**Sckitzo**

purplefood wrote:
Sckitzo wrote:
purplefood wrote:The Valks were for re-supply but they could easily be used elsewhere...

Spoiler:

Maggs isn't a sniper he is a scout so you might need to change that if its's important to you. Merrt is the one with the jaw

The Ketzok Serpents were the artillery regiment they also owe the Ghosts heavily ever since they were told to bombard them after they had pulled out of a city.

Thanks for spotting that not sure how I screwed that one up. Who is Maggs again? Man I need to reread these books, Horus Heresy first though.

Spoiler:

He kinda replaces Mkvenner as Mkolls second in the scouts. He is a good scout but talks too much according to Mkoll

Ahh ok, I can tweak that a bit easier I think.

**dullblade35**

Wyrmalla wrote:On the book covers there is the odd Ghost wearing their cloak over their heads btw

Thanks for backing that up

just made some now out of green stuff i'll post pics soon enough

**Anidem**

well, i thank you all for your help!

and based on what dakka is giving me looks like ill begin with 4 vet squads, the Tanith Blister for Commissar lord (plus two commissars) and the command squad and the bare bones for two platoons

tweaking the points out, adding bodies to the two platoons gets my point values high-enough for the big games to not worry about having too much "co-opted" armor.

Picked up the start of a bug project from my FLGS today, and it has left me with a few major questions before i get priming and painting

1. Everywhere it states the Ghost's always wear black fatigues and a green camo cloak, so what of their flak armor?

2. For the really big games, i will have one to two squadrons of Valks/Vends (finally decided while after i got deep into book 5, the one where they actually use them to get deployed) so what color should they be?

**Sckitzo**

For 1. That is a good question, I'd assume if it wasn't black it would be another really dark color, possibly a dark green or grey. I don't recall ever hearing what color their armor is, or if they even wear any of that matter so this may have to be a what you feels best.

For 2. Did it state if the Valks were loaners or part of their Regiment? Hmm aren't valks normally just loaned to the ground pounders anyway from the Navy? If so maybe we can figure out what color the Navy uses and you could just use that. I'd think it would be a dark or medium blue

**Todosi**

For many of your questions, you can check here:

http://gauntsghostspedia.wikia.com/wiki/Tanith_1st_Regiment

Again, major spoilers abound, so be careful where you tread.

**The tactical Fail**

i like the idea of tanith guard armY

**Sckitzo**

So was bored at work today, and started crunching numbers on how much the list I made up would cost money wise using bits, it made me cringe a bit to be honest. Then I noticed the Cadian and Catachan battle forces, using both of those it looks like I could complete a bit over half the army with the using the following schemes, IIRC it was 97 models total, we'll go with 80ish as I already have some and some will be special models such as Bragg.

Looking at whats included between the 2 battle forces it will just leave me a bit short as a mentioned, but with tons of bits that I don't need (such as the Sentinels) that I can sell/hoard/trade in on BW Bits. I guess my question is, are the battle forces just like the normal boxes you would buy, where the guys come in multipart sprues, or are they more like the ABR sets where the body is one large chunk and there is little variation? Because if it works, I'll have enough legs, heads and arms for 50 guys (though only 25ish torsos) all the heavy weapons short 8 sniper rifles (which I could fix easy enough). So factor in it was about $50 cheaper than buying the bits, plus the extra stuff I can save/sell it sounds like a solid start to this idea.

TLDR
Do the Cadian and Catachan Battle Force boxes come on sprues as if you bought the respective units seperate or are they the more generic fewer piece variety such the Assault on Black Reach starter?

Below is what my fuzzy math said I'd be getting from one Cadian and one Catachan battle force box that would be used for the army

Spoiler:

Below is way more detail then you are going to want to read

Spoiler:

Below is break down of roster by units

Spoiler:

As I said, I was bored and math makes a 14hr shift go by quicker

**Anidem**

Got one box in (Cadian), but its as if you decided to by 2 boxes of Gaurd, a Command squad, a heavy weapon squad, and a sentinal separate, so you get a good deal IMO

But in addition to the Cadian box, i bought a heavy weapons squad separately, 2 sets of Cadian Snipers (2 pewter in each) 1 set of Catachan Snipers (3 pewter in each, comes with one in prone), The "Gaunts Ghosts" Pewter Pack, which has models of:
Gaunt (posed like the cover of comnibus one, except yelling, and with his powersword)
Milo (playing the pipes, has a lasgun on his back)
Larkin (Crouched, Crazy, and Completely Cloaked)
Dorden (which actually has a lapistol on it O.o )
Corbec
Random Ghost with a Plasma Gun

Also got Gaurdsman Marbo
And the Cadian Kashirn (sp?) Veteran squad (All are in pewter) which i was thinking of Distributing throughout the army as special characters and SGTs of the Ghosts, since they look so awesome.

Oh, also grabbed a pewter sprue of like 10-15 Guardsman Heads. All of them dont have helmets, so i was thinking of modeling the Women's hair on them for models here and there.

Massive spoiler to those that havent finished reading the series

Spoiler: