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.

Hello, threads still going great guns, well done! Having read the CS Goto short in the latest black library Space Marine compilation I was wondering if anybody had mentioned it to you, or you'd read it yourself?

It's not bad for Goto really... He has mentioned a unit of marines who have almost pre-cognitive reactions due to a heightened mental state or gene-seed irregularity. I was thinking that it was maybe an excuse to create a Death Companyesque Mantis unit. Not exactly the same but similar.

Any thoughts?

Hey geordie09! IceAngel has been keeping me updated. I do want to read Goto's work, though I must admit the fact that he gets panned by most folks has held me back. I think my vanguard is going to be the closest thing to what you're talking about. Look back several pages and you'll see a prototype build. They'll be slightly closer to true-scale than normal, will have "mantis like" CCW which I'll probably count as lightening claws. They're vet's too... so I guess that's about as close as I can get to Goto's ideas within the normal rules. I have never considered Death Company... is there something about them that make them particularly appropriate in this regard?

Unfortunately being summer with children and lots of other responsibilities to attend to, my painting progress has slowed considerably... but I'll keep banging away at it. I welcome any ideas and suggestions you may have... the feedback I've gotten over the months of the blog has been invaluable and has greatly influenced the direction I've taken the chapter and my figures.


On a "strategic build" note: I've been thinking ahead to the drop pods that I'll need to pull off this army. I don't know about you guys, but in my FLGS almost no one fields a fully painted drop pod or even a fully built one because the flop down doors interfere so much with game play. Since I intend to give the pods the same quality of painting treatment that I'm giving everything else... I need to figure out a way to modify them in order to make them a playable model. My current thought is to split the doors about 1/3 of the way up, with short steep ramps going down and the top 2/3 raising up, either swinging on a pivot like a gull wing door or just rising straight up. That way the "footprint" of the open pod is small enough to keep it playable & I can keep my hard work on the table. Small hinges are available, so that's not a problem, and I'd just use little pieces of metal rod to hold the doors in the upright position. Lastly, I think I'll get Chapterhouse's pre-heresy drop pod armor to give them some character, & I can use the "lames" in their armor to help disguise the door splits. If it wasn't for the hassle of transporting them that way... I could probably just glue them in the permanently open position, which would make building them one heck of a lot easier.

Thoughts?

One quick comment. The Canoness can't validate geneseed, that is done by the Adeptus Mechanicus. I like the fluff of the Canoness but maybe also add in a mechanicus guy, either as a techmarine, or just as another "basic" marine in the command squad.

Warmaster: I have no objections... I wanted a lot of techmarines in my army anyway for the fluff and feel, would be delighted to have a good reason to have one in the command squad, I even have a perfect figure from the RT era for the duty. I think the bit you're referring to was based on so some really old (20+ yr) fluff. Since that's the origins of my history with this army I tend to gravitate back to it. Unfortunately my original rule books have long since deteriorated into dust and been lost, so I'm dragging these things out of my rather questionable long-term memory.

Is it possible to easily magnetise the drop pod doors - opening them if you have room or leaving them closed if you don't? Even better - perhaps do away with the hinges altogether and use the magnets to attach/detach them? The added advantage is that you can transport them separately if need be. I'm currently magnetising all the Ork Trukk and Deffkopta options, and I am finding it easier for gaining access for painting as well as breaking down for transportation... Just a thought!

Hmmm.... food for thought. I've been enjoying reading your thread & seeing you work on the trukk... so I really appreciate your input. Let me think on that for a while. This army's going to need 3 pods at a minimum... so there's some room to experiment. Maybe I'll do a straight magnetization of the doors of the first one, then when I have that experience in the bag I can consider more drastic modifications on the other two.

I like the split option. Unique and creative. would kinda make sense with the word " Pod" thou figuring out how to utilize the weaponry on the pod with the split make it a challenge.

so... what groups of colors are you using to do the green mantis warriors in?

Look at the last post on page 4 of the blog, it explains it all w/ a photo...

The mantis warrior on the left has true grit, doesn't he? Nice story by the way and how are the custom shoulder-pads going?

I like the idea of magnetising the doors as you can fluff that with the explosive release charges they use for quick clearance... like the canopy release when a pilot ejects!

The Death Company count as troops for Blood Angels and they have a few other things which could be a drawback or advantage dependant upon your mindset... I think they have rage at times and furious charge. But fluff wise it's their gene-seed which changes them into psycho marines basically!

The Mantis Warrior fluff out of the Deathwatch books explains that certain Mantis Warriors of the Mantidae have the ability to access a certain part of the brain which will allow them to gain such extreme focus that they can almost see the future. In doing so they have heightened reflexes and are extremely fast, however once they have turned this ability on they can never go back to their original way so they will forever be extremely focused. In essence they gain super senses and speed but it turns into a kind of tunnel vision so they don't see the big picture. They wont even see allies unless they join into their combat. In Mantis Warrior armies there will be a small group of these Mantidae that are lead by someone who is still normal so they have something to focus on.

It would be very death company-esque in game rules but fluff wise they are just a group of focused marines that are handicapped until they get into close combat. Once there they are ridiculously effective.

How about making the drop pod doors open upwards? it would get rid of the whole starfish footprint, while still looking semi-plausible..

pie_2054 wrote:How about making the drop pod doors open upwards? it would get rid of the whole starfish footprint, while still looking semi-plausible..

And look like Sponge Bobs house!
But seriously, at least if its sunny they could chill in the shade.

Gotta have at least enough ramps to get down to the ground out of the pod, and cutting the doors right at the bend works perfectly for this. Conversely I could model them onto a little terrain bit and set it so that the pod is "burried" about an inch down in the ground (i.e. cut the bottom part off), that way I wouldn't need the ramps at all as the guys could just step out of the pod onto the ground around them.

Or they could surely leap/jump/vault?

I know! I could model little yellow inflatable hook-on slides like they have for emergency exits in an aircraft! *grin*

You sir have inspired me to start up a Space Marine army

Hmmmm.... must have been the inflatable slides idea....


@Imperial: Start a P&M Blog, get ideas and help. Seriously, I have a very clear idea of what I'm doing and how I'm going to get there, but it never would have happened without all of the input you've seen on this blog. My painting skills have improved, my fluff has clarified, my building skills have improved and I've made a bunch of new friends who are very talented and are willing to share what they know. The Dakka community is a great one, give people some ideas and models to chew on and you'll be rewarded 10-fold. And when you start, feel free to post an announcement here so folks can swing by and see what you're up to!


On a side note, I'll be trotting out my nascent Mantis Warrior this afternoon in hopes of getting a couple of pick-up games at our FLGS (The Last Square, Madison, WI... great place) while the urchins are apocolypsing their brains out. Since we're having a 1250 pt tournament next weekend, I thought it might be easier to get some pick-up games at the 1250 pt level... even though I won't be playing this army myself because it wont' be fully painted (I have my standards).

I call this list "Total Insanity"... and it's mostly for looks... pretty much a Space Marine gun line with almost no mobility or assault capability... but it'll be fun to see on the table.
(this is from memory so I may have a detail or two wrong)

HQ: MoTF (using on old tech marine fig at the moment)
Elite: Sternguard (8), 2 ML, srgt w/ PF
Elite: Dreadnought, assault cannon, CCW w hvy flmr
Troop: Scouts (10), camo cloaks, ML, Telion
Troop: Scouts (9), camo cloaks, HB, srgt w/ PW
Hvy: Dreadnought, TL-LC, ML
Hvy: Dreadnought, TL-LC, ML
Hvy: Rifleman Pattern Dreadnought (2 autocannons)
1250 pts.

Actually it's possible that the smaller of the two scout squads does not have the cloaks... can't remember if I had the points or not.

Ah.. the old school army... a good army if your going to plan on killing everything and anything that moves... so I like it alot!

inflateable side.. ouch.. Double dog dare ya! just make sure you have an appropriate guardsmen at the foot end to help them off. ( female would be my choice ) - but to each their own.

Well, I'd call it a static gun line except that with the exception of the scouts, everything else can move and shoot. In theory, the scouts can be combat squadded (one squad anyway) and "deposited" wherever I want them via infiltrate and scout move, so they shouldn't need to move much after that. Dreads and sternguard can all shuffle around as needed while firing, though the sternguard are less effective on-the-move than otherwise.

And yes, I always did like a shooty army... which is why I have so much trouble running my orks correctly. I think adding two 5-man assault squads and the missing scout to this build would make it quite viable at 1500 pts. (if I can do it for that... not certain)

Well, the crazy little army *almost* worked... fought a Sister's army to a draw. My insanely poor dice rolling on turn 1 (fired every weapon in my army, didn't scratch a single figure) and my opponents insanely good dice rolling on turn 2 (one of his SOB squads made 20 of 21 saving throws), pretty much stuck the fork in my game. But once I started charing my dreads into everything (even without CCWs) to keep them from getting wiped out by the multi-pseudomelta-missile shooting thingies he had two of... things got more interesting.

So, on the advice of a friend (and experienced gamer) and my own ideas... I've changed things up a bit. Now I have...


HQ: MoTF
Elite: Sternguard (6) w/ 2ML, sgt w/ PF
Troop: Scouts (10), sgt w/ PF, half with BP & combat blad & half w/ bolters
Troop: Scouts (5), 3 sniper rifles, ML, Telion
FA: LS Storm, MM
FA: LS Storm, MM
FA: Assault Squad (5), plas pist, sgt w/PW
Hvy: Dreadnought, TL-LC, CCW, storm bolter
Hvy: Dreadnought, TL-LC, CCW, storm bolter
Hvy: Dreadnought, TL-AutoCannon, CCW, storm bolter

Big improvement in my assault capability while still having a decent amount of firepower. I figure since in most armies can be in your shorts by turn 2 (the sisters were), having dual weapon dreads in an army this thin didn't really work. I did have to lose one of the dreads to make room, but getting two fast, open topped scouting transports with multi-meltas and an assault squad will probably make up for it. I certainly have a lot more mobility than before. Hoard army's still present a problem... but this should be a more viable build than the last.

Loving the Gigantasarus Bolt Pistol scilencer.
Only question, did you make is holster big enough to accomodate?

Cut a hole in the bottom of the holster

I like the army selection... was toying with the idea of getting a MOTF in order to use dreads as heavy options and allow me the get more terminators into my forces.

Do you think the MOTF is an effective HQ other than for this purpose? Oh, and the uber gun thing he can get in the vanilla codex!

He's OK as a character... not a great "killer" but very useful... last battle he fixed a destroyed lascannon on one of the dreads and assisted in three separate assaults, those two power fist attacks and the two normal attacks can really add up. I've never used a con beamer as I always have too many other things for him to do. Course he's really there to let me move my dreads down to Heavies and to reinforce a ruin, which can be nice with the scouts.

Ouch! sounds like your a bit unlucky with the dice rolls there. Have you painted more?

No, but I hope to make some progress today. Keep your fingers crossed...


Automatically Appended Next Post:
OK, finally made a bit of progress. Got the yellow done on the last two built sternguard. While this is not the most difficult thing to do, it is by far the most tedious.

Waitin' with anticipation!

Its hurting my fingers

About the drop pod:
Why not make it open in the middle?
The bottom parts folds outwards, and you can either glue the top shut, or do something else.