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Ok, I'm thinking of collecting an army of Gaunt's Ghosts, possibly based around the siege of Vervunhive, but I have some questions:

What colours are the Ghost uniforms?

What colours and style (Cadian, Mordian, etc.) are the Volpone uniforms?

When the Ghosts joined with the 81st Recon, did they get a platoon structure? If so, what was each platoon formed from?

I'm thinking flamers/snipers/mls with a couple of meltas. Any responses I will be very grateful.

I would look up the books out there and try Google searching the ghosts. There are a bunch of pictures and such good luck!

The ghosts wear plain black battle dress uniforms (BDUs) with piebald (White and black blob pattern) cloaks.

Volpones aren't specified, but I'd personally use Mordian models.

Ghosts always operated in platoons, I'm not sure what the third question is about. Joining with the 81st Recon just gave them extra bodies in the end since both units were light infantry to begin with.

The only weapons the Ghosts have really been shown to use are sniper rifles, flamers and missile launchers. Come to think of it, I can't even remember any grenade launchers. Oo Krak Grenades are a yes though since their use of Tube Charges for light demolitions work is infamous.

Do you mean Verghastites rather than the Volpone? The Volpone were enemies with the Ghosts.

From lexicanum:

Appearance & Uniform
The Tanith uniform is black, with optional helmets for standard troopers and forage caps for the regiment's elite scout platoon. Camo-cloaks (made of cameleoline) are standard.[Needs Citation]
The cap badge for the Tanith is a wreath-surrounded skull with three daggers behind it; each dagger representing a Tanith regiment. On the badge is the inscription "For Tanith, For the Emperor".[Needs Citation] After the destruction of the Tanith 2nd and 3rd regiments, the Tanith snapped off the two outside daggers on their cap badges. The Verghastite cap badge is an axe-rake to symbolise their former hive's mining and industrial background. These pins and other badges that indicate rank or specialisation are dulled down with soot or boot-black to aid in stealth operations.[Needs Citation]

The Vergahstites became Ghosts and so adopted their uniform. Also (story spoiler)

I think you could get away with using auto cannons, given that it was one of Bragg's signature weapons. If you're basing your army on the regiment during or after Vervunhive Gaunt can have a power sword without contradicting fluff.

This page has a picture of a Volpone, and as the source for the image is the Sabbat Worlds background book I think you can consider it a good starting point.

If going for a Vervunhive theme you even have an excuse to add tanks, just paint them as Narmenians. You could use Grizmund to count as Pask.

What people have said above, however I would not use any vehicles. There was 1 book where they fought along side an armored company, but outside of that the army and Gaunt's beliefs are centered on the power of infantry.

Thanks for all the responses!!

@Furyou Miko The Ghosts previously operated in twenty-man units; I was wondering if they got Codex-style platoon structure.

@Paint_to_Redemption I know that the Volpone and Ghosts have a 'rocky' relationship, but I was thinking of a unit under Major Culcis (Corbec's friend from Narcedon)

@Fezman I've never liked the autocannon rules, but I was thinking of converting Heavy Stubbers to tripod mounts and using the Heavy Bolter rules

Also, how do I paint black fatigues? I'm thinking of using the Army Painter, which worked for my Space Wolves, so should I just spray black, paint metal/flesh/cloaks then wash?

Black fatigues are... black fatigues. Paint them black, then dry-brush with light grey to represent wear-and-tear/fading colors/etc.

Sorry about my moment of imbecility...

Also, do they use the Catachan lasguns?

The original Ghosts have their own type of las-gun with Narwood stock. The Vervunhivers have metal las guns.

They don't describe the Tanith lasgun very well, excepting the nalwood furniture, but I always pictured Garands for some reason.

Tanith wear black fatigues with black or grey battle armour. For head wear they use either a black beret or helmet (It's colour matching the battle armour) Except the scouts who wear black wool caps. Each trooper has a short range vox bead

The Tanith use Mk. III Lasguns made with a solid Nalwood stock, Vervunhivers use Mk. IIIs with a wire folding stock. Beladons aren't specified IIRC

Structure wise each platoon has roughly 20-30 men with a Sergeant or higher rank as the platoon leader, a special (Flamers) and heavy Weapon(Tread Fethers and Heavy Stubbers) an attached Scout, and attached sniper and a vox man. This varied in the battlefield due to losses.

Camo Cloaks are supposed to be issued according to the current theatre of combat. Since you're looking for vervunhive era Ghosts urban camo would have been used.

For cap pins Ghosts had the skull with three daggers through it with the two to either side of the central one snapped off. Vervunhivers have an axe-rake in addition to this.

For modelling remember to wash all the metal to take away it's sheen like the ghosts would use soot or mud, makes infiltrating a lot easier if you aren't carrying around something very reflective (Looking at you Costin)

There has also been several incidents where they've worked alongside armour units (The artillery one, Vervunhive, Hagia, Heredor, Aexe Cardinal, Sparshead Mons were all theatres where they fought alongside armour wihcih could be included lightly

Not to mention the fact that the Ghost's frequently use trucks as a means of getting to the battlefield, and on several occasions they have operated off the back of trucks in the same way as mobile infantry. So small tanks are bound to be part of this armoured formation.

I'll either use the Catachan lasguns, or the lasguns included in the Victoria Miniatures Border World Rangers. However, I'm confused as to whether or not they used the Cadian-style flak armor, as in the fluff, or the rambo vests, as in the pictures and on the GW minis?

The border world miniatures are easily the best stand in for tanith, only issue is I think they are 30mm not 28 but it's a tiny difference. rambo vests are always what I have envisioned for them since Cadian flak armour IMO looks too bulky for stealth troopers

They don't use either Cadian flak armour or Ramob Vests (lol).

BDUs generally consist of trousers and a long-sleeved jacket with pockets for gear.

Best thing in this case is to read the novels! Everything you need is explained there. And you get to read one of the best story lines IMO.

I always imagined the tanith's lasguns as looking similar to a WW2 smg's with the nalwood stocks on them whilst the sniperifles looked like the scout sniper rifles used by the space marine scouts. But then this was all in my head This image is sort of how I imagine the lasrifles to look in my head. By the way this isnt based on anything in the books to suggest it but it did make them all look cooler I thought XD

Colonel-Commissar wrote:
I'll either use the Catachan lasguns, or the lasguns included in the Victoria Miniatures Border World Rangers. However, I'm confused as to whether or not they used the Cadian-style flak armor, as in the fluff, or the rambo vests, as in the pictures and on the GW minis?

In... bah, the haunted-house mission storyline, mind is blanking on the title of the book... Rawne takes a hit to the chest and it is said to have cracked the carapace to his breastplate. Whether this means that he's wearing carapace, or simply another style of military hard armor, I dunno, but at least the "command squad" is described as wearing heavier-than-flack.

Problem with running Ghosts in 40k is that they have no plasma or melta weapons at all, the exception being Hark's Plasma Pistol. Imperial Guard, if you ran them as platoons or as vets (I think fluff-wise they're best off as vets with camo cloaks), you're going to need special weapons. Unless you plan on exclusively playing against foot-heavy traitor guard

I wouldn't call the Royal Volpone "enemies" of the Ghosts as much as rivals. They may look down on the Ghosts and have had more than one friendly fire incident, but the two do have a grudging respect for each other. Culcis is not a bad guy, especially after Nacedon. Gilbear is an ass and Sturm was the one responsible for the artillery strike, but Sturm got what was coming to him.

Even the one guy who worked alongside Rawne knew that to win at Vervunhive they would need to work together. Sure, he put the Ghosts at the front to take the most casualties, but they did fight alongside each other.

And then Monthax was probably the greatest single achievement of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, a joint effort between the Volpone and the Ghosts that killed ten thousand cultists with a single casualty.

In book 1, the Ghosts are described as having plasma and melta guns.

Hey! Hey! Something I can actually help on!!

Back in 2002 I think, White Dwarf did a Chapter Approved on fielding a Ghosts's army. They made mini's of the main people that appear to be out of print now. The uniform appears to be a flat grey with the trademark camo cloak as seen here on the lexicanum page.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/File:GGTrooper.jpg

Though this book cover show's more of a solid green.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/File:Tanith_First.jpg

The Chapter Approves 2003 book contained rules for them, it is out of print as well but I snagged one off amazon for fairly cheap.

All accompanying pictures in the book (starting on page 11) are of a gray uniform and camo-cloak.

Hope this helps.

Thanks very much!

As an aside, any ideas on how to paint the camo cloaks?

Psienesis wrote:

Colonel-Commissar wrote:
I'll either use the Catachan lasguns, or the lasguns included in the Victoria Miniatures Border World Rangers. However, I'm confused as to whether or not they used the Cadian-style flak armor, as in the fluff, or the rambo vests, as in the pictures and on the GW minis?

In... bah, the haunted-house mission storyline, mind is blanking on the title of the book... Rawne takes a hit to the chest and it is said to have cracked the carapace to his breastplate. Whether this means that he's wearing carapace, or simply another style of military hard armor, I dunno, but at least the "command squad" is described as wearing heavier-than-flack.

Jago was a fething hell-hole (When I first discovered GG I read whatever book I could get my hands on, this was my third the other two being Only in Death and Ghostmaker, and I completey missed the nod to a previous character at the end)

BryllCream wrote:Problem with running Ghosts in 40k is that they have no plasma or melta weapons at all, the exception being Hark's Plasma Pistol. Imperial Guard, if you ran them as platoons or as vets (I think fluff-wise they're best off as vets with camo cloaks), you're going to need special weapons. Unless you plan on exclusively playing against foot-heavy traitor guard

Yeah, Veterans w/ Camo cloaks and Flamers Sniper rifles and Heavy Bolters/Autocannons Harker makes a nice substitute for Bragg as well. marbo could substitue for Mkoll, Mkvenner or Lijah Cuu

Colonel-Commissar wrote:In book 1, the Ghosts are described as having plasma and melta guns.

From my perspective (Especially from the first short story of Ghostmaker) the original book was supposed to be stand alone but popularity drove on the series and Abnett tightened up the fluff about the ghosts and how they fight

If I had to guess, it looks like they painted the cloak goblin green or camo green (don't recall the new names for them), and then added snot green and a dark brown color in kind of a stripey look.

Kind of like this, but with a bit more space.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:French_lizard_pattern_camo.jpg

You can kinda see it here.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/mediawiki/images/0/04/GGTrooper.jpg


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 BryllCream wrote:
Problem with running Ghosts in 40k is that they have no plasma or melta weapons at all, the exception being Hark's Plasma Pistol. Imperial Guard, if you ran them as platoons or as vets (I think fluff-wise they're best off as vets with camo cloaks), you're going to need special weapons. Unless you plan on exclusively playing against foot-heavy traitor guard

There's nothing about this in the Chapter Approved. Infantry Squads get the usual weapon choices.
Flamer - 3pts
Meltagun - 8pts
Plasma gun - 8pts
Grenade Launcher - 8pts
Long-Las sniper - 5pts

Two Guardsmen can form a weapons team with one of the following
Heavy bolter - 10pts
Missile Launcher - 15pts
Autocannon - 15pts

Wargear is Camo-Cloaks, lasguns and frag grenades standard.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Aha! GW still has the boxed set. https://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod1140078