The Rebellion

So, thought I should post to let you all know I'm not dead! I have been busy working on... stuff? Well, actually very little! Mt penal legion has begun something of a reign of terror in the gaming world that is my imagination. I have drawn once, and won 2 (or 3) times. Me and stranded ninja have been hard at work thinking about themes and cool things to make our (my) massive ass whooping at the GT more bearable. We’ve tentatively decided on something like this...




Can you guess what it is yet? Stay tuned for more models looking like this, and some looking like they are from a galaxy far far away.....

Fighting Fire With Fire

Fighting Fire With Fire
So, in the last two days I’ve painted 3 models (including a new “me” – more on that later) and won twice whilst drawing once. I’ve been using this list.


1st game against stranded ninja

We played spearhead with 5 objectives. However, since we were playing 1750, I added 3 Hydras. He had a Land Raider, 2 Storm Ravens and far too many blood angels for my liking, and some terminators with Tyberos. He didn’t realise that all of my penal legion were outflanking, and then three squads jumped the Terminators in turn two. I think I killed like, 2? Eventually it came down to the fact that I was holding 1 objective, which he couldn’t reach because of the terrain, to his two. I finally managed to shoot both his scoring units dead and kept the death company off mine. A win on the mission objectives, but I did spend some amount of time playing keep away to be honest.


2nd game against World Eaters at GW Leicester

So, this was dawn of war with 5 objectives. Again, this guy had never seen this army before (barely even played me) so I let him deploy first and kept everything off. He had 3 squads of Berserkers, Khan, 2 Squads of Summoned Daemons, 2 very cool transformer type defilers and 2 squads of chosen.The random element of the penal legion is something I'm beginning to fall in love with, especially when it comes to getting knife fighters off right. I came on with my Vendettas on my left flank and began to pull his army away from the centre, which was where most of the objectives were. His chosen came on and popped one of my Vendettas. My favourite point in this battle promptly followed as my outflankers outflanked him, and promptly murdered him.




I managed to contest the objectives he was scoring, and drag him off the ones he was on to charge me, so I got a draw! Kudos to my opponent really, because he didn’t have to charge me, and didn’t have time to get back to his objective.


3rd game against Ian’s Ravenwing

This ended up being a dawn of war, kill points game. I reserved everything, and thought that I would really be screwed as everything in his army could move as fast as mine. So, a ran over to my extreme right this time, and over the course of three turns he ran at me in about 3 waves. This was great, as my plasma death storm troopers and Lasscannons made him wade through his own superhuman blood. Yarrick didn’t even get out of his Fortress of Flying Arrogance until the 6th turn when his Vendetta moved flat out and they all successfully jumped without dying in front the last biker squad.



I promptly received the charge from Chaplin and his dress wearing buddies, and was wiped out to a man. Though it did make for a suitably epic end to the game! The highlight for this game was killing Sammael with Penal Legion. I literally killed the Master of the Ravenwing with a Knife, blowing his flying Land Raider out of the Sky.

And, as promised, here is a picture of the new “me.” As you can see, he is wearing yellow! (My favourite colour.) And I thought that it would be cool to have a pink las pistol!

Grey is the new black!

Well, the Grey Knights are up for advance order. That's here

And after the "ooo's" & "aaah's", I'm quite disappointed at the Marines and Terminators, I kind of expected a new direction "a la" Dark Eldar. Draigo's shield is nice (tempting me to do a Grey Knight Imperial Fist army!) but the rest of the model is pretty standard.

The only things that have really caught my attention are the Nemesis Dreadknight and the Codex!

The Dreadknight:




The pictures on GW's website show the same stance but with the different arm options. With the variation of poses that can be made with the Defiler, that was surprising. Watch this space though, as when one gets into my grubby mits, the pose will be a lot more dynamic!!

The Codex:




Nothing new here if you've been reading the rumours/leaked copy but obviously the official book may change what we think we know.

I just want to see how the Stormravens are affected!

On a lighter note, have you ever noticed that most of Games Workshop's "Beaky" Marines only look to the left?? More on that soon..........


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New Photos and Models

So I took some better photos of Tyberos using daylight instead of my desk lamp:







I also put together the 5 man Death Company that will join the Army:











You can see at the back there is the White Dwarf Subscription model from a few years back. I was going to cut off the Bolter and replace it with a Bolt Pistol but I couldn't bring myself to cut the model as it is nicely posed already!

More soon........



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Location:Leicester

Special Weapons Troopers

So, just a couple of models I’ve been working on... still can’t decide what to do for pack markings (although these guys aren’t in any one squad)

The Red Wake

So on Sunday I collected my Tyberos "The Red Wake" from Lightning Slayer.....

.......On Monday I painted him.

Sorry about the yellowyness os the pics my digital camera doesn't like my flat's lighting!
Let me know what you think.

More soon.......

Black Library Live 2011

So, I went to the Black Library Live 2011 this weekend. I had a really good time, got some killer photos, got Dan Abnett to sign my copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and fell asleep during Graham McNeil’s Q&A apparently at the point where he said that the 4th member of the Morningvale was still alive. We also went round the Warhammer World Museum which my friend Lee hadn’t seen, so yeah it was very cool!

I met Dan Abnett and got him to sign Honour Guard, Ghostmaker, Prospero Burns, Harry Potter 4 and a couple of others. I also got my pic taken with him as we can see. The most interesting things were attending the seminars and Q&A. Some of the stuff did end up like a Donald Rumsfeld Tribute band, in fact Dan even quoted him, but here are the interesting tit bits / gossip that you may or may not know.

Dan Abnett Q&A
• Brin Milo is not the Ensign Crusher of the Gaunt’s Ghosts Series... we may see him again. He also kind of implied that we may see Mkvenner again... in a sort of “who knows” way.
• After finishing the Ghosts Story arc, he is hopeful of writing up some pre Ghosts stuff in Gaunt’s life, when he was a cadet with the Hyrkans.
• Lijah Cue was only added in the Honour Guard rewrite after he lost 80% of the novel and had to rewrite the whole novel in a month



General Black Library Gossip
• There is a Legion of The Damned Battles Book in the works, due for spring next year
• HH Book on Caulth due for next spring also – written by Dan Abnett
• There is going to be a Space Marine Battles Book with 4 Short stories in it, linked to the 4 Chapters who are listed in the Space Marine Codex as operating in the containment area around the Eye of Terror
• Gaunt audio dramas hinted at
• M. Darkblade graphic novel omnibus due for print on demand release. It will contain every comic that he has ever been in, including the one where he has a dream of being flying around on a jet bike in 40k
• There will be at some point a Space Marine Battles Book on Mcragge and the Tyranid on Marine Action that occurs there.
• Bill King has in fact already submitted the 1st draft of all three Tyrion and Teclis books! Due for release at Games day next year.
• The plot for the audio drama surrounding Eisenhorn is called the Keeler something or other. Those of you with excellent memories will remember where we have heard of Keeler before? She was a remembrance on the vengeful spirit and basically a picture of Horus turns up at some black market auction, and Eisenhorn goes in with Bequin to sort it out. Due out for Christmas.
• There is going to be a HH Primarchs Novelette containing short Stories on 4 Primarchs due for early next year
1. G McNeil – Fulgrim
2. N Hien – Ferrus Mannus
3. G Thorpe – The Lion
4. R Sanders – The Alpha Legion Primarch(s)

The Space Sharks are coming!

Okay, so when I was playing against Lightning Slayer last Wednesday, the subject of the Charcharodons came up along with the fact that they were originally named Space Sharks. Now, I looked online and found that this has been a heated discussion since Forge World announced them in 2010 so I won't go too far into it. Only to say that I prefer the name Space Sharks!

Anyhow, the other week I got my hands on 30 RTB01 Rogue Trader Marines. The heads and the bases were glued and that was it.  I put 10 of them together but after that, I was at a loss as to what I would do with them. So I put them with a handful of other "Beaky" Marines and some old Scouts that were knocking about.

Now, after the topic of the Space Sharks' new name, I decided to use the old Marines to start a Space Shark army.

On Friday I took them to my local Games Workshop and sprayed them. I also got a game in against James (see Fridays post).

At 10am on Saturday I started painting and by 10pm I had finished them to an acceptable standard. All that is now left for me to do is paint a few extra details.

That's 22 Marines & 5 Scouts!
As per the scoring system in the side bar - I have just scored 81 points in a single day!!

More soon......

Sucking Black Blood

The Game - 1.5k Seize Ground/Spearhead

Blood Angels  Vs. Black Templars

So I took on a guy named James at Games Workshop Leicester today using what now seems to be my standard Blood Angels List;

HQ : Mephiston

Troops: 2 x Tactical Squads w/Missile Launcher & Flamer
              Razorback w/Lascannon & Twin-linked Plasma Gun

              5 man Death Company Squad w/Power Weapon & Thunder Hammer

              Death Company Dreadnought w/Blood Talons & Magna Grapple

Elite: Furioso Dreadnought w/Blood Talons

Heavy: 3 x Stormravens w/Twin-linked Lascannons & Twin-linked Multi-Melta

On to the game......

I deployed first and set up as close to the centre as possible. Our objectives were spread evenly over the battlefield, myself holding one and James guarding another whilst the rest of his army cowered on the opposite hill.

In the first turn Mephiston and the Death Company Dreadnought flew over in a Stormraven and disembarked next to the unit of Templars, the other Stormraven went flat out over to the rest of the Templar army but lost its Lascannons.

Mephiston and the Dreadnought wiped out the Templar Squad and retreated away from an encroaching Landraider. 

James then unleashed the Assault Terminators from the Landraider and proceeded to wreck the Death Company Dreadnought.

During the second turn, a Stormraven wrecked the Landraider and whittled the Terminator Squad down. Mephiston took on the remaining Terminators, only loosing 1 wound.

At turn three, the Stormraven that had lost it's Lascannon unloaded the Furioso Dreadnought and sent it into the other Templar Tactical Squad.

Mephiston continued his attack on the Terminators but lost 2 more wounds.

(The Cold One was used as an objective - NOT local wildlife!)

The Furioso bounded into The Emperor's Champion and struck a wound but lost one of its Blood Talons.

At that point (end of turn 3!) James called it a game as he only had 2 Tactical Marines left! I had only lost a Twin-linked Lascannon, three wounds from Mephiston & had a Dreadnought wrecked!

All-in-all another satisfactory win!    

More soon.........

Cry God For England, Harry, and St George!

The Defence Of Hades Hive

So. Imagine the scene. Your home is under attack, you need to defend yourself from your most hated enemy. Following a rousing speech given by your commander, you mount up into your gunships and head for the war. Sounds like Apocalypse Now don’t it? Well, it is in fact the Defence of Hades Hive, which is this week’s army list. This list is themed around a couple of key bits of text from Armageddon Lore. These mainly include, at the Hive Gangers fought vicious tunnel wars with the Ork burna boyz and looterz as Hades Hive fought to a man during the Second Armageddon war, and that Tanks were rolling of the production line and straight into the fire fight.

So the idea is that Yarrick has gathered around him a strike force to try and breakthrough in a key position in the defences. Check it out.
Commissar Yarrick
Storm Troopers (8) 2 Plasma Guns, Plasma Pistol and Power Sword Sarge
Storm Troopers (8) 2 Plasma Guns, Plasma Pistol and Power Sword Sarge
Storm Troopers (8) 2 Plasma Guns, Plasma Pistol and Power Sword Sarge
Vendetta
Vendetta
Vendetta
Penal Legionnaires x5


The whole force has scout, representing the home turf advantage that Hades Hive gives. Where the army theme really comes into its own is the Penal Legionnaires are original Necromunda models. Beyond awesome I know. Follow that up with some vague steel legion styling on the Vendettas and jobs a good un. The main way this would work is to outflank probably most if not all the Penal guys. They are no good in your deployment zone, and so much fun with rending. Seriously, using them as though they had a death wish is hilarious.

The Vendettas all fly around together, using their speed to hunt as a pack. If I were to try this army, I would consider swopping Plasma out for Melta, but it depends. I rather like the idea of cracking the plastic boxes open with lots of lasscannons and then jumping out and shafting its juicy insides with a small white hot sun. If I decide not to take the Custodians to the GT, then I would take something like this, because it is so different to anything I have. Plus there is a theme, which is really important for me this year. I want to have models that people look at and actually go “wow” or “neat idea” so its gotta be good, you know?

Technically Speaking

So, me and Stranded Ninja went down to GW Leicester today, and played a couple of games. I get to describe the second game. It seems, (as illustrated by homer Simpson here) that technicalities are sometimes “for the win”

I took my standard Space wolf list:

Wolf Lord on a Thunderwolf with Saga of the Warrior Born, Frost Blade, Runic Armour, Storm Shield, Wolftooth Necklace
Wolf Scouts (6) Meltagun, Meltabombs
Wolf Guard Pack: 1 with Cyclone Missile Launcher, 3 With Combi Melta + Power Fist
Grey Hunter Pack (9) Meltagun, Power Sword, Mark Of The Wulfen Rhino with Extra Armour
Grey Hunter Pack (9) Meltagun, Power Sword, Mark Of The Wulfen Rhino with Extra Armour
Grey Hunter Pack (6) Plasma Gun, Lasscannon Razorback
Thunderwolf Pack (2) Storm Shield, Thunderhammer
Long Fangs (6) 5 Missile Launchers
1500

He took Astrorath, Three 5 Man Death Company, 3 Death Company Dreadnoughts and 3 Storm Ravens.

We ended up playing Seize Ground with 3 objectives and a Dawn of War deployment. I let him go first, because I realised, and so did he that he would effectively not be able to put a full unit of anything on the board, and I didn’t want to waste a turn hanging around for him. So he reserved everything and then I came on and castled around a ruin on my side. He Dropped in with two Storm Ravens, immobilising one as it landed in dangerous terrain. This was in fact, pretty much all the damage that was done to his Storm Ravens.



I soon discovered that Astrorath had Jumped out right in front of me and promptly started to beat me up. In about one whole turn they killed my thunderwolves, wolf lord and a whole squad of grey hunters. This would be the point where I realised that things were going not so awesome for me. (the only hope for my lord was to shove his sword down the missile launcher tube) Essentially, bottom of turn three I had 2 Death Company Dreads, Astrorath and 10 Death company running around my castle, I was totally in rout. Of course, this was an issue. By this time I’d popped my one and only Storm Raven for the day, and walked my scouts in front of another, forgot about them and watched them get jumped by more death company.

I realised that my one and only chance was to get an objective, as being Death Company he couldn’t score. Since I had (cleverly lol) given him first turn that meant that I had second and began to not so subtly rush the remains of my army (about 20 grey hunters across the three squads) away from the very slashey dreadnoughts and towards a far away objective. I was racing Astrorath, and one entire unit gave their life for the other two to reach the objective (they got eaten by the death company)



Bottom of turn five and you have this... my grey hunters on top of a hill staring down around 750 points of screaming angry space vampires. I roll the dice, and its a 1! I win the game on a technicality. I seriously feel like I let defeat slip from my fingers.

The Secret We Keep

Hello again,

Today Lightning and I had a 3000 point battle at our local Games Workshop here in Leicester.

Now I'm not that well versed in large point games (I prefer the 1000/1500 point games) so I looked upon this with a bit of sugar and a "why not" attitude.

I knew I wanted to play Blood Angels and I new I wanted to field three Stormravens. So how did it go? Well.............

The Game - Pitched battle/ kill points

Blood Angels Vs. Space Wolves

The Blood Angels deployed first and laid themselves out across the battlefield facing an unruly band of Space Woves who were spearheaded by their Landraider Crusader. They seized the initiative and went first mainly shooting what they could and inching forward into position. It was at this point a Stormraven became immobilised and had its twin-linked Lascannon destroyed. Next was its Multi-melta and then as it lay there in the dust, it seemed to repel the remainder of firepower, encased in some sort of divine protection.

After the initial upset, the two remaining Stormravens were split up and sent over to the far right flank and the centre of the army. The two Landraider Crusaders ground forwards to begin the first wave of attack whilst the Razorbacks took up positions on the hill. The first of two Furioso Dreadnoughts shot off towards the Space Wolves waiting Devastator squads whilst the downed Stormraven unloaded its payload of ten Tactical Marines. 

With a flurry of Lascannon, Assault Cannon and Multi-Melta fire, the Blood Angels had removed one of the offending Razorbacks and Rhinos. The squads held within (minus a couple of casualties) let loose onto the battleground only shielded by their now wrecked vehicles. Several of the Devastator Marines were mortally wounded but not enough to make a difference.

The now dented Space Wolves moved closer to reach the crest of the central hill. More shots were aimed at the two remaining Stormravens and with both of them unable to move, the first Furioso wrecked and a smattering of Angels K.I.A, it looked as if The Emperor was beginning to favour the Wolf.

As the grey behemoth of the Wolves' Landraider towered over the Angels' own, Mephiston and the Death Company Dreadnought that were inside the belly of the second remaining Stormraven were let loose. Followed by the unit of Death Company from one of the Landraiders and a crushing Multi-Melta shot that ruptured the enemy Landraider and destroyed it's armour leaving the Space Wolves inside battered and confused. This became the time to strike. 

The Death Company failed to get over the wrecked vehicles in their path but Mephiston and his pet went into the stunned Space Wolves with teeth and claws bared.

The unit that met them were not as fearful as the two Blood Angels had thought as they were supported by Njal Stormcaller and Ulrik the Slayer not to mention the three Thunderwolves that were in the unit behind them! After a bloody combat the two opponents had stayed in with each other, the only two to come away without major losses were Mephiston and the Dreadnought. 

Then the Thunderwolves came. Their sodden fur smelling as foul as the creatures who rode them; two Wolf Lords and a lone, skilled Marine.

They broke into the combat just after they had given orders to the Devastators to concentrate on the Stormravens (stopping them for another turn), the remaining Space Wolves to engage any open Blood Angels, the Wolf Scouts to enter behind the Blood Angels and the squad from the Landraider to hold their ground against the maniacal Mephiston.

They snarled and clawed at the Lord of Death who lost his footing and gave the beasts some blood but it was again not enough to thwart a man who had come through the Black Rage as he tore through Njal Stormcaller's Power Armour and spat out what was left. Meanwhile, the Death Company had been reduced to two men (one still brandishing his Thunderhammer) as two Space Wolf squads bathed them in combat. Each Marine from both side lavishing in the taste of each others blood.  

The other side of the battlefield saw nothing more than a smattering of Geneseed as the second Furioso decided which combat to chase after.

With the Stormravens focusing on the entrenched Devastator squads, the remaining Furioso concluded that he would help out the Brothers on the flank as Mephiston could handle himself. The Dreadnought cut through the flank and freed the Blood Angel squad to head towards the Devastator squads in the far ruins.

The central combat had now whittled itself down to just the main protagonists; Mephiston, a Death Company Dreadnought, Ulrik the Slayer, the two Wolf Lords and the Thunderwolf rider. The Dreadnought was turned into a pile of scrap metal. Mephiston was now surrounded by Wolves and needed help.

One Wolf Lord looked as the remainder of one of the Blood Angel squads cut him off his mount and skewered his beast. Ulrik was next to succumb to the Angels' fury but Mephiston had also not seen the power sword of the second Wolf Lord enter his left breast plate and cut his heart out, leaving it on the trodden earth for the final Thunderwolf to feed from.

The last Death Company marine could hold no longer, his might no match for the waves of combat from the Space Wolves as they ran him through to get to the aid of their falling leaders. 

Tycho and his Death Company Dreadnought Battle Brother had been watching this macabre story unfold under them and finally were unleaded upon the Warriors of Fenris.

Striding gallantly into combat they ran past the newly unrestrained Space Wolves and joined the combat.

Also with the Wolf Scouts banished, the remaining Blood Angels from that combat came to support Tycho. Unfortunately they were not the only ones to heed the call of help of their brethren and were met by the Wolves who had bested the Death Company.

This battle was not as it should have played for the Blood Angels. Their leader maimed and all but three Marines and a Dreadnought remained. The three broke off and headed to the safety of a hovering Stormraven just as the final Dreadnought exploded. All that was left for the Wolves was to mop up the ground and turn to face their target.

As they ran towards the Razorbacks they were taken out one by one. The remaining Stormravens and Landraiders turned Marines into colanders. Wolves, the beasts of The Emperor, were no match for the fire power of the Blood Angels.

The end came as the last of the Blood Angels vehicles Las-sniped the heart of one of Russ' Lords. The stain on the ground a reminder that of the secrets held by each Chapter, none is more important than the Blood Angels'.

Final Score: Blood Angels - 14 kill points

                    Space Wolves - 7 kill points

So there you have it. Three Stormravens were definitely worth their points Lightning and I have concluded that I certainly out-gunned him which is pretty much what won it for me!

More soon.......