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Ever since I first saw the model for Saint Celestine, I've wanted to run a Sisters army. I've decided to start picking up some Sisters models to run as allies with my Space Marines, and as I add more options, I hope to eventually have enough to field an entire Sisters army.

The semi-supported nature of the Sisters means that there might be pitfalls. For example, on GW's website, I read that the Canoness is supplied with a "randomly selected backpack," yet only one backpack is shown in the image. What backpack options are they randomly selecting from? Also, given that so many models are randomly selected, but all options aren't shown, how can I tell what I am likely to get? Is there a collector's guide out there to show what's in print, what's out of print, etc.?

If there's no collector's guide out there, I'd like to hear from other Sisters collectors about what pitfalls I may encounter as I start purchasing models from various sources. I know, that's kind of a vague question, but I'm not sure how to phrase it any other way.

The Canoness backpacks aren't a problem AFAIK - it's just a chance to get one with a big torch or two smaller torches on it.

The regular bolter SoB are a bit of a problem as there's not that many different models, but most poses have both helmeted and bareheaded variants. At least my collection of 70+ basic sisters lets me field 10-girl squads with no identical models within a squad - the Superior and two special weapon troopers means it's only seven models you need to pick through to make sure there are no doubles. edit: And I bought a couple different Superiors, and converted a couple of the Plasma Pistol ones to have different weapons. One got a Bolt Pistol, one got a much more ornate sword than the chainsword she had.

The worst problem IMO is that the WD Codex hasn't been posted as a free PDF yet.

Spetulhu wrote:
The Canoness backpacks aren't a problem AFAIK - it's just a chance to get one with a big torch or two smaller torches on it.

The regular bolter SoB are a bit of a problem as there's not that many different models, but most poses have both helmeted and bareheaded variants. At least my collection of 70+ basic sisters lets me field 10-girl squads with no identical models within a squad - the Superior and two special weapon troopers means it's only seven models you need to pick through to make sure there are no doubles. edit: And I bought a couple different Superiors, and converted a couple of the Plasma Pistol ones to have different weapons. One got a Bolt Pistol, one got a much more ornate sword than the chainsword she had.

The worst problem IMO is that the WD Codex hasn't been posted as a free PDF yet.

Thanks, Spetulhu. I appreciate the comments!

Buy immolator kits, not rhinos, since you can make both transports with the same kit with for a negligible price difference. Plus, the rhinos from immolator kits look cooler.

Also, invest in a good dremel with one of those 50+ accessories kits. Corded not battery. Metal is a pain to work with.

Yeah, Immolators are the same price as Rhinos and you get so much more.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, make a list and plan out what you want first. Sisters are much harder to buy a lot and work it out later since they are more expensive.

Try to grab odds and ends off of ebay, sometimes it can be cheaper than buying from GW. Also, getting the paint off is easy enough, so feel free to grab models regardless of paintjob.

And yeah, don't worry about getting too many similar Sisters. I've bought a fair amount of them and only have a few duplicates per squad, doesn't look too unrealistic. And of course, it becomes less of an issue the more you amass.

Thanks for the comments, everybody.

A few things: I am new to collecting Sisters, but I'm not new to the hobby, and I have a fair amount of experience with the craft side of the hobby. For example, I'm pretty comfortable stripping paint off of models and I have worked with metal and appreciate the difficulties there. (Not that I don't appreciate the time that people took to respond, but I was a bit vague in my first post so I wanted to tighten up things a bit.)

What I am interested in more specifically is information about the models themselves. Spetulhu's information about the Canoness backpacks available is the sort of thing I am looking for. Deviantduck and Pretre's advice about buying Immolator kits to build stock Rhinos is helpful too.

The problem I have with articulating the information that I need is that, given that information on Sisters models is lacking, I don't know what I don't know. For example, I think that the model with the Canoness holding up the Inquisitorial holy symbol is out of print. For all I know, however, it's not actually out of print and it's a random option from one of the selections on the GW website. Similarly, in the supplied photographs for stock Battle Sisters, a helmeted Battle Sister with a scoped storm bolter is shown as one of the options but, as the same model is sold individually, I'm assuming that it's not one of the options I might get in a pack of three sisters. That's why I was hoping to see some sort of guide that might explain what I'm likely to get if I send money to GW. Maybe I'm overthinking things, but I'm worried about sending money to GW to play Sisters of Battle roulette.

Obviously, buying off Ebay is more certain. I can see an image of the unit that I am bidding on. However, watching Sisters auctions on Ebay (and even participating in a few), I've seen what look like in print and available models go for significantly more than what they would cost brand new with shipping off of the GW website. Because I don't know what I don't know, I have no idea if other bidders know something I don't or if they're just caught up in the excitement of the auction, or what.

Thanks again for the replies so far!

Canoness holding the icon really is OOP, it's not a random option. The stormbolter Sister is never included with the regular Sisters, it has to be bought individually.

Yes, times were simpler when GW still sold them in boxes of 10 like they do for metal IG ...

Something I can add: The Banner Bearer is a Codex option, yet GW does not actually sell the correct mini anymore. Apparently, its current proxy is supposed to be this, although that used to be merely an alternate option for the Simulacrum, and I'm sure we all agree that a piece of paper clearly isn't a "banner".
What you actually want (that is, if you intend to field a Banner Bearer) is this, and I believe you should still be able to get her on ebay or something.

Youngblood13 wrote:
the Canoness holding up the Inquisitorial holy symbol is out of print.

I believe you'll find that is the symbol of the Adeptus Ministorum and not the Inquisition.

And yeah, as far as making a list, I have a pretty good sense of what I'm looking for. Right now, I am putting together an allied detachment for my Space Marines consisting of Celestine, 10 Battle Sisters with Dedicated Rhino, and a unit of 5-10 Seraphim. That seems like a decent detachment to start with, and it should provide a solid base to build on.

However, the primary reason I am starting a Sisters collection is that I just plain like the models. While list-building considerations and the codex are going to play a large part in guiding my purchases, I'm also comfortable with buying models just because I like the way they look or I think they'll be fun to paint.


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 pretre wrote:

Youngblood13 wrote:
the Canoness holding up the Inquisitorial holy symbol is out of print.

I believe you'll find that is the symbol of the Adeptus Ministorum and not the Inquisition.

But it's an "I"! Adeptus Ministorum doesn't start with an "I"! Thanks for the correction, though.

 Troike wrote:
Canoness holding the icon really is OOP, it's not a random option. The stormbolter Sister is never included with the regular Sisters, it has to be bought individually.

 Lynata wrote:
Yes, times were simpler when GW still sold them in boxes of 10 like they do for metal IG ...

Something I can add: The Banner Bearer is a Codex option, yet GW does not actually sell the correct mini anymore. Apparently, its current proxy is supposed to be this, although that used to be merely an alternate option for the Simulacrum, and I'm sure we all agree that a piece of paper clearly isn't a "banner".
What you actually want (that is, if you intend to field a Banner Bearer) is this, and I believe you should still be able to get her on ebay or something.

Thanks Troike and Lynata! I appreciate the information. This'll help me to figure out how much I am willing to pay. And yes, I'm betting things were simpler when they sold Sisters in boxes of ten. I kind of regret not picking them up years ago!

So, to riff on that theme: Are there other OOP Sisters models out there?

If the God-Emperor is merciful, the Sister Dialogous is OOP and, further, they have lost the mold for all eternity.

 Psienesis wrote:
If the God-Emperor is merciful, the Sister Dialogous is OOP and, further, they have lost the mold for all eternity.

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod1300014a

 pretre wrote:

 Psienesis wrote:
If the God-Emperor is merciful, the Sister Dialogous is OOP and, further, they have lost the mold for all eternity.

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod1300014a

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

... the fact that they demand $10 for that model is the worst part about it. I mean, if these were, I dunno, 3 for a buck, that'd be one thing. But $10? Seriously?

 Psienesis wrote:

 pretre wrote:

 Psienesis wrote:
If the God-Emperor is merciful, the Sister Dialogous is OOP and, further, they have lost the mold for all eternity.

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod1300014a

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Psienesis, did you see the leaked images from the new WD? Plastic SOB!!!!

Youngblood13 wrote:But it's an "I"! Adeptus Ministorum doesn't start with an "I"! Thanks for the correction, though.

"Imperium" starts with an "I".

No worries, though. A lot of people new to the SoB are making that mistake.
In short, all or almost all Imperial Adepta have an "I" symbol of sorts. The Inquisition has it with three bars, the Ministorum features a skull with a halo. You can see the same insignia as part of the Chaplet Ecclesiasticus - the rosary-belt-thing that they wear around their hips.

Youngblood13 wrote:So, to riff on that theme: Are there other OOP Sisters models out there?

I *think* some of the Sisters Superior are gone, too, although I'm not entire sure their disappearance was temporary or permanent. The Ephrael Stern mini is definitively OOP by now, as she was only a limited edition run. Frateris Militia aren't sold anymore either, but then again those are not in the current Codex anyways ( :( ).

 Lynata wrote:
I *think* some of the Sisters Superior are gone, too, although I'm not entire sure their disappearance was temporary or permanent.

All Seraphim Superiors are gone from the UK site, and they've been that way for a few months now. But few are still present on the GW sites of other countries. Additionally, some of the Missionaries/Preachers and Kyrinov have the same issue.

http://www.collecting-citadel-miniatures.com/wiki/index.php/Sisters_of_Battle_-_Collectors_Guide

This seems to be a pretty handy guide - even if a few of the pictures are obviously mislabeled.

Check out the unreleased ones. Battle Sister Superior with Powerfist. BOOYA!

Ugh, I so want those unreleased minis! Still need to get Ephrael as well.

I like the Dialogus figure. (hides under table)

That Icon Bearer one is pretty cool. The Famulous, not so much, though that could just be the angle of the photo. And I am curious about what role she would have played on the tabletop.

I like the Famulous just because she's different. Not a Sister in her prime but an aged veteran. Maybe she even was a Militant once but transferred into the Non-Militant Orders because she was no longer fit for active battlefield duty.

As for her role ... actually, she already had official rules in a Chapter Approved list shortly before C:WH came out. I'd have to look through my stuff to make sure, though. Right now I only find an old FAQ and a bunch of comments from the old SoB yahoo group (example).

The Sister Famulous may only take units from Codex: Imperial Guard. No other units whatsoever may be taken, and no special rules from other sources may be used (for example, the Deathworld Veteran upgrade from Codex: Catachans, under strength squads etc). The only units they may take are Hardened Veterans, Storm Troopers, Infantry squads (and Infantry Platoon Command Sections) and Armoured Fist squads. By extension, you could use Schaeffer’s Last Chancers as they stand in Codex: Imperial Guard if both players agree to the use of special characters, but not in their updated form found in Chapter Approved.

And yes, the Icon Bearer rocks. The miniature range needs more Sisters that carry relics into battle.

 pretre wrote:

Psienesis, did you see the leaked images from the new WD? Plastic SOB!!!!

Spoiler:

You both ruined, and restored, my faith in human beings with one simple button. Hats off to you.

Ah, yes. Here we go. From the rules for the Canoness' squad:

"Additionally, one Sister may be upgraded to a Sister of the Orders Hospitaller for no extra points, one may be upgraded to a Sister of the Orders Famulous at +5 points, and one may be upgraded to a Sister of the Orders Dialogous at +15 points. These characters may also take any equipment allowed by the Ministorum armoury.

Sisters from other Orders:
In addition to any other weapons or wargear, a Sister Hospitaller may be given a Medicus Ministorum as detailed in the Armoury and Wargear sections.
A Sister of one of the Orders Famulous can use her connections with the Imperial nobility to command other Imperial servants to provide her with troops. These are usually Imperial Guardsmen or Planetary Defence Force personnel. For every Sister Famulous in the army you may include one unit chosen from Codex: Imperial Guard Elites or Troop sections. This unit does not use up any choices from the Force Organisations chart, but otherwise follows all rules that apply to it.
A Sister Dialogous can use her considerable language skills to translate prayers spoken in High Gothic into other languages so that they can be understood by those around her. For this reason, every Sister Dialogous in your army adds +1 Faith point, as detailed in the Sacred Rites rules in the army list introduction.
- C:CA (2002)

Good times.

Shame the Famulous didn't make it into the 5E Command Squad, but I suppose the current Allies rules make her a bit useless. Unless she'd allow circumventing some FOC limitations.

I have a confession to make: I like the Dialogous model. One of the things that I like about the Sisters models, a lot, is that they're kind of absurd. (Okay, okay... This is 40K and a lot of models are absurd, but that's probably why I enjoy it.) Those goggles make the Dialogous look so stereotypically nerdy, like some grimdark librarian who loves her scrolls so much she wears them. She has a lot of character!

Lynata: That guide is exactly the sort of thing that I was looking for. Thanks for linking to it. I've been on that Wiki a bunch of times, but didn't think to check it for the Sisters stuff. That's a good catalog to compare models to.

Troike: Thanks for the heads up. On the US site, we still have the Seraphim Superior, and she's actually one of the less expensive Seraphim models. Go figure!

I don't mean to highjack your thread but thanks for some ideas guys.

I really want the Ephrael Stern model now. Only $200+ act fast!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Warhammer-40K-BLACK-LIBRARY-EPHRAEL-STERN-SILAS-HAND-Limited-ed-946-new-oop-/181204338573?pt=Games_US&hash=item2a309ec78d

There's one that's at about 30 right now.