Inquisitorial Warhound Titan: Canis Nex

December 2, 2012, 12:30 pm

Warhound Scout Titan

I wanted to tie my Grey knight army and Warhound Titan together, giving it some background "Fluff" as to why they would be fighting alongside one another was the ideal thing. Below is a short background story to represent this, and how a Titan made it into the ranks of the Inquisition. When I finally get my Titan finished, it will be lightly embellished with Inquisitorial iconography, but not overpowering, you will have to look for it to see it.

At the end of the story I have also included my very own Inquisitorial Warhound Titan Datasheet, for use with Apocalypse games, please click on the link to download the PDF file. Feel free to print and use in your games. Remember this is my own fluff, enjoy.

What follows next are the events in which Canis Nex, (Dog of Death) a Mars Pattern HyenaClass Warhound Scout Titan formerly of Legio Astorum (The Warp Runners) came to pass!

For thousands of years Canis Nex has walked into battle, scouting ahead of the main battle groups hunting down enemy Zenos, Chaos, Traitors and Heretics, protecting the Imperium of mankind.

Although still bearing some colours and insignia of Legio Astorum, the Warhound Titan no longer serves with the legion it was born to, nor is it known or recognised by name or sight to the Imperium, or the Adeptus Mechanicus either, Canis Nex simply does not Exist.

During the siege of Vraks 813-830.M41, it is reported that twenty two Titans of Reaver and Warhound Class from Legio Astorum, were sent into battle to walk on Vraks against the Renegade Chaos forces.

This is where the truth has been altered with a little help from the Inquisition and the Adeptus Mechanicus on Mars. Truth be told, Twenty Four Titans walked on Vraks in the original deployment, however Inquisitor Lord Hector Rex of the Ordo Malleus, Seconded two of the legions most veteran and Lethal Warhound Titans, Canis Nex and Canis Bellum (Dog of War) along with their crew, into the Inquisitorial Ranks.

They were assigned a secretive mission to outflank the main Chaos defences along with Hector Rex and Grey Knights from the 4^th Brotherhood. Their mission was to strike at the heart of a powerful and hidden battle group of over a thousand Chaos renegades, and a dangerously potent Chaos sorcerer that were shrouding a massive warp gate through which gigantic Bloodthirsters and Greater Daemons of Nurgle were being summoned. Already three had reportedly made the transition from the warp onto Vraks and if Knowledge of these abominations and the strength of this hidden force were to reach the rest of the Imperial troops, Throne only knows what panic and disruption might be caused.

The two Warhounds were ordered back to the legions landing ships for resupply, before re-joining the battle again, they had already seen a heavy share of battle and were reluctant to leave the advance so early but their techpriests took the time to make minor repairs along the way, healing the Machine Spirit within.

They did not arrive at their intended destination on the landing fields. Hector Rex had intercepted the Titans and informed the Crew of new orders. He requested that no one was to be informed of their participation and for the Mechanicum to amend their files accordingly to show that the Warhounds had been resupplied and send back to war in a different sector upon Vraks, knowledge of the secondment would be of upmost secrecy. The Warhounds new role was to support the Grey Knight strike force, providing super heavy fire power and armour, installing fear into the corrupted hearts of the Renegades.

The mission counted a heavy toll on the Grey Knights and the Warhounds both took severe punishment, but they fought with no sign of relent or hesitation. The battle was fast and furious with carnage all around, and only lasted a few days due to the immense fire power of the Warhounds and the highly thought out battle plan. Hector Rex took down a Bloodthirster on his own banishing it back to the warp by its real name and Brother Captain Valius along with a Paladin squad took down another one along with a putrid Greater Daemon of Nurgle. An Interceptor squad performed a dangerous high precision teleport shunt into the swirling chaos of warp energy, near the gate and assassinated the Chaos Sorcerer where he stood, forcing shut the warp gate in mere moments.

But just before the portal shut, Canis Bellum was wrenched into the warp gate, by what can only be described by the surviving Grey Knights as a hand of gargantuan proportion, some Daemon of untold size! What Canis Bellum’s fate was remains a mystery to this day. Canis Nex seeing this disastrous event occur raged with anger and struck at the renegades with new unbound frenzy, massacring hundreds of renegades with blast after blast of raw destructive firepower, the Machine Spirit was mourning with the loss of Canis Bellum.

The strike force had won after only a couple more hours of fighting, a few renegades had managed to flee in the mayhem but the Sorcerer was slain, the Bloodthirsters and Greater Daemons of Nurgle Slaughtered in battle and those that were not defeated were drawn back into the warp when the Portal was closed.

Two days were spent clearing the surrounding area and fortifications weeding out pockets of the enemy. The remaining Grey Knight strike force were clearing the last few buildings near to the sorcerer’s vile tainted remains and Hector Rex was debriefing the Warhound and crew when all of a sudden the air went cold and still, the Grey Knights all felt a disturbance in the atmosphere. As quick as the air changed, the sorcerer’s body was elevated high into the night sky with his chest bursting open with strobes of light, the daemon inside had led dormant but survived the sorcerers death and with one last gesture to its gods opened a warp rift onto a daemon world.

At that point hundreds of daemons poured out of the rift engulfing the whole area in a screaming whirl of daemonic chaos. Hector Rex and the remaining Grey Knight reformed and battled the daemons with psychic power and force weapons, Canis Nex however was all but consumed by the ravaging daemons, lost in a tsunami of furies and screamers, not being equipped to deal with such horrors. Brother Captain Valius looked over to see if the Warhound could offer aid and throw fire into the rift, but the great machine was lost. Unbeknown to the Grey Knights, but yet foreseen by Hector Rex, the Warhounds commander, Princeps Mardon had become psychic aware during the past few decades of continuously fighting Chaos and Heretics even without his own knowledge or awareness and without thinking had raise a psychic barrier around the titan and crew forcing the daemonic furies to scream with pain before they could strike at the souls within.

Through the MIU (Mind Impulse Unit) Princeps Mardon had fully linked with the Machine Spirit of Canis Nex, passing on the psychic barrier into the very core of the machine, taking full control and becoming the Titan incarnate. The void shields started to collapsed under the sheer weight of the onslaught, but before more structural damage occurred, Princeps Mardon turned ran at full stride out onto the plains. Believing that they had possessed or corrupted the titan and its crew, only a few daemons followed to chase it down with the remainder consisting of hundreds of furies turned to unleash hell on the Grey Knights.Brother Captain Valius voxed Hector Rex with little hope that they would be victorious against such an onslaught, but Hector told him to hold at all cost as aid will come in a surprising corner.

After falling back for about a mile Canis Nex Halted, turned and fired upon the advancing daemons with no respite. Madon growled with anger as the Machine and his mind fused as one. The rest of the crew could not believe the events that had taken place; they should be dead or worse possessed by Chaos. The Princeps asked for their trust and if they were with him, ready to take the fight onto a new level, the crew acknowledged with a new sense of purpose. With the crew now eager to follow their Princeps, Canis Nex walked once more into hell. At full stride with all power diverted to the engine room, the Titan made record time across the plains towards an unknown fate that awaited them, even if destroyed with an apocalyptic explosion, at least that would seal the rift

Hector Rex, Brother Captain Valius and around eighteen Grey Knights remained. But as they fought with unyielding vigour knowing that they were moments away from seeing the bright lights of the Golden Gates of Terra in a glorious death, Hector Rex Voxed the Grey Knights with a stern command to seek cover and look to the plains. At that moment Princeps Mardon order his Moderati to rain hell upon the Chaos until the skies were lit with fire. Again without thinking he raised a psychic shield around his crew and took to the fight, the end of the Warhounds weapons glowed white hot as unrelenting fire was poured into the demonic hoard, Princeps Mardon reeled in pain along with the Machine spirit as they took damage from bloodletters and Daemonettes on the ground and screamers in the air. But all was not lost; the Warhounds Techpriest was working without rest and managed to raise a single void shield deflecting some of the onslaught at the cost of his own auxiliary power supply. The Grey Knights and Hector Rex kept in cover whilst the fire storm erupted around them, for nearly twenty minutes Canis Nex fired and crushed the Daemon host until their numbers dwindled to less than a hundred furies, sensing the battle was closing to an end, the Grey Knights rose from their cover and charged the remaining ground forces back into the warp, with Brother Captain Valius chanting binding words of old text closing the rift with a crack of light and a sound of a thunder clap.

All went silent and still, Hector Rex and the Grey Knights looked at the Warhound their saviour in time of need. As the dust settled around them they could see the toll which the Titan had taken for its deed. Canis Nex was on the verge of a wreck, its right Plasma Blast Gun all but molten metal after the Plasma coils overheated during the continuous fire, the head limp with a two meter gash of twisted metal on the top from where daemons tried to break in, both legs barely able to carry the bodies weight as they had been ripped apart by the bloodletters and Daemonettes frenzy. Thick black smoke billowed from the engine room where screamers and furies had repeatedly hammered at the unprotected and weak rear defences, breaching the titan’s hull. Canis Nex was in ruins.

Valius sent a vox to the Titans crew several times with little hope of response. But to the dismay of the Brother Captain the mighty machine answered. The entire crew although substantially injured had all survived, including the heart of the Titan itself, the Machine Spirit was untainted, protected from corruption by Princeps Mardon via the MIU. Hector Rex immediately ordered the Grey knights Tech priests and a special unit of Adeptus Mechanicus Engineseers from Legio Astorum to rebuild Canis Nex with no holds barred as a reward for the Bravery and stalwart of the crew and the pure might of the Machine Spirit.

After nearly a year led dormant on the Grey Knights own Forge world, Canis Nexwas once again ready to walk to battle, rebuilt to the highest standards of the Adeptus Mechanicus of Mars, with all the resources available to the Inquisition. The Titan crew were sent for psychic analysis and Princeps mardon rated with a psychic mastery level. Canis Nex Itself was upgraded with Reinforced Aegis Armour plating and Psybolt and from the Grey Knights vast arsenal.

From the very moment they were transported from Vraks, the Inquisition made the decision to keep the Unusual Warhound Titan and Intriguing crew in the service of the Inquisition and Grey Knights of Titan for Super Heavy support, when and where needed. The Imperial forces on Vraks were subject to Inquisitorial mind wipe after the war ended as per the usual procedure of the Inquisition and Grey Knights, and all information regarding Canis Nex and Canis Bellum’s existence was sequestered by the highest order from Mars, Terra and Titan.

To date Canis Nex has fought in countless battles alongside the Inquisition and Grey Knights, upon Thousands of battle fields across the galaxy, and is honoured with the most advanced equipment of the Adeptus Mechanicus, forever searching for its Sister Titan, the lost Canis Bellum.

Imperial records of the two Warhounds no longer exist and their names are all but forgotten, only a select few will ever know the truth. Canis Nex the Dog of Death and Canis Bellum the Dog of War, are ghosts, for they do not, and have never been, in existence, just a myth on the tongues of past.

~ Honour the Imperium of Mankind ~

Below is a link to the Inquisitorial Warhound Titan Datasheet. Please feel free to download and print the PDF file to use in your games.

Download
'Inquisitorial Warhound Titan Datasheet'

Any questions or comments are welcome as usual.

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Warhound Titan (part II)

December 6, 2012, 6:30 am

≫ Next: Spiker Plant

≪ Previous: Inquisitorial Warhound Titan: Canis Nex

The Legs Constructed

So here is part II of my Warhound Titan build, for those that have not read part I, you can find it 'here'.

In this part, I will tell you about the leg construction and one of my favourite things, magnetising! I apologise for the low photo quality but these were taken on my mobile, but they are good enough to show what's going on. I was fortunate to have a couple of days off work, allowing my full concentration on this part of the Titan. I spent long hours researching what other people have done and took a lot of advise on board. This advise I will pass onto you now, please keep reading and enjoy.

The pose

I figured that I would first need to work out what position I was going to have the Titan in, once I started gluing there would be no turning back! Resin and super glue do not give easily! Having found various pictures on the net I decided to go for a stalking type of pose, like the one above from Forge World. I wanted one foot forward and the other still on the ground, but lifting up to give it motion. I did not want the model to be on a base for gaming purposes, this would allow more battlefield movement and reduce the area of which I could be assaulted. So no base was desired.

Another major consideration would be whether or not to pin the model. After feeling the weight and doing research again, I thought this would be wise. I purchased some 20 gauge piano wire, available from any good model shop and did a test on some resin off cuts. After drilling a 1mm hole I cut the wire to length and test fitted the wire, I then dropped in some super glue and quickly (and you need to be quick) pushed the wire into place. After a few minutes I tested the join I had created and to my delight, it was very strong, strong enough to still be joined after standing on it.

The Feet

Already you can see the size of this model, the Grey Knight is for scale. I raised the main foot off the table about 1cm by placing three 25mm bases underneath, thus when assembled it would direct the weight onto the toes. I carefully dry fitted every part before starting to assemble the foot, once happy I glued a single part together and then drilled a hole through the two parts. I cut and test fitted some wire, dropped in some super glue and threaded the wire in very quickly. I then moved onto the next part dry fitting all the way.

Top Tip: "Dry fit, dry fit, dry fit, then dry fit again". You only get one chance at this generally, so make sure your parts fit and you happy before your glue goes near it!

Top Tip: "Move quickly". Super glue and resin bond very fast so after dry fitting apply your glue and part in the exact position you want, trying to move these after will be very difficult once set and will damage your model!

So with the foot and toes assembled and pinned, I cut the toe pistons to length and glued them into position, again dry fitting all the way. Below are some photos showing where the pins are.

Very carefully once dry I applied pressure onto the main foot. I basically wanted to test the load it could take, if it was no good I would have to rethink and add more pins. 6kg later I decided that its was strong enough to hold plenty of weight and moved on. After doing my research I decided to build one leg first up to the hip, then starting from the bottom build the other leg to match the same height, that way I would have a level waist to hold the upper part of the Titan.

Leg One

Due to being focused more on the build than taking photos, this is the only one for this stage of the build. I dry fitted for ages before deciding on the final position, when I was happy I placed pencil marks on the parts to remind me where they were going to line up.

Having great success with glueing the parts together first then pinning after, I applied the same process to the rest of the Titan. As the picture above shows, I inserted three long pins up through the bottom of the foot into the ankle ball joint, I managed to use the rivet indent detail to hide where I drilled for pinning. Where the lower and upper joints were, I decided to put pins right through the joints horizontally as this would be the strongest method. These tiny holes were later covered up using 'Green Stuff'. Planning the pose before hand, this foot would end up underneath the Titans head with the hips to the rear balancing the model nicely (finger crossed).

Magnets

I really wanted to make the most of this model, so I intended from the start to magnetise various parts. The ankle guards where one of these parts. Being as you get two plain and two detailed, I though I could use one plain and detailed to start with and the two spare I would pretty much create battle damage on them.

The Idea of this being that a Warhound Titan has three structure points, so when one is lost I could replace an ankle guard with a damaged one, and when a second is lost replace the other. This would not only record the damage but show it as well. Obviously when the third structure point is lost there would be no Titan left just a crater in the ground.

I used 3.2mm x 2mm magnets on the Titan as these were a perfect size to hold the parts. Using a matching size drill bit I very carefully (after dry fitting of course) drilled holes into the two parts the making sure the polarity was correct, super glued the magnets in. And as you can see it worked a treat, the ankle guards can now be swapped as and when needed.

Top Tip: "Make sure the polarity of the magnets are correct before glueing, as once glued you cannot get them out again"!

The good thing about doing this as well, is that when it comes to painting I can access the ankle with ease. With the leg fully pinned and the magnets in place, I finished the leg off by adding the Ankle, Leg and hip pistons. As always dry fitting and glueing carefully.

Leg Two and Hips

With the first leg all done it was time to build up the other. Again I have not got photos of the assembly but this was pretty much done the same. I dry fitted the foot and leg, marked with pencil and cracked on.

This foot was slightly harder to do as I had to have the weight on the front toes only. For this I made a little wedge out of foam card to hold the foot in position while I glued in together. The leg was far easier as I just needed to make sure it ended up at the same height as the other one.

Finally I dry fitted the hips then pinned and glued them together, I even placed a spirit level on top just to make sure it was perfect. I needed to make sure that the centre of balance was correct, otherwise when the top half of the Titan was placed on, it would topple the model over. Again having done my research this was achieved.

A further eight pins were used to hold the hip ball joints onto the legs and another three pins through the waist into the ball joint. Believe it or not, the legs can support around 8kg of weight. that's how far I got before getting worried. I needed to make sure it was stable after all.

Below are the rough positions of where the hip and waist pins were inserted. and also the other pins added from the rear view.

Here is an aerial shot and from the side, as you can see the centre of gravity is between the toes giving it perfect balance. Careful planning and preparation paid off.

The hip pistons were added after these photos were taken, but the same method was applied. Dry fit then glue, I was lucky to have a couple of spare pistons as one of the hip pistons was quite poorly cast, as for the ankle, I miss judged (even after dry fitting) and cut a couple to short.

Below are a few statistic I gathered throughout the building process so far, I will total these up after each post.

Stats:

Pins used

68 from toes to waist, 34 in each leg.

Magnets used

15, two used on the right ankle guard and three on the left as this side was at a slight angle and needed one extra.

Well that's it for this part, hopefully I have passed on some useful advise and inspiration This is a fantastic model to build and is still not yet finished. The next part will involve building up the body and head.

~ To lack conviction is to invite defeat ~

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Spiker Plant

December 8, 2012, 10:00 am

≫ Next: 360° Grand Master Valius

≪ Previous: Warhound Titan (part II)

Spiker Plant

In the new Warhammer 40k rule book on page 107, there is a unique terrain piece call the Spiker Plant. So far I have never played a game using this terrain feature and have not yet encountered one on the battlefield. So finding some bits from my terrain box I proceeded to make one.

I have included below a tutorial on how I made this terrain piece, which to be honest was very easy to do. I plan on making a few of them to use in my next game. I will start creating some more terrain pieces that are featured in the rule book very soon, all will be scratch built and cheap, so watch this space.

Stage I

So first of all I gathered all the bits I wanted to use for the Spiker plant. 25mm base, some cocktail sticks and a small polystyrene egg from my local craft store, these are normally readily available especially around Easter time. Also needed will be some PVA glue and hot glue gun (but the glue gun is not essential).

Stage II

First I cut off the very ends of the cocktail sticks to remove the sharp pointy bits, this is so you don't prick yourself every time you go near it, then cut the sticks in half. Being very careful not to jab your hands, dip the blunt ends of the cocktail sticks into a little bit of PVA glue and then randomly push them into the polystyrene egg, continue to do so until you have your desired spiky effect. Once your happy stick the egg to the base with a glue gun or PVA.

Stage III

Now paint your Spiker Plant whatever colour you like, I have chosen do do a green plant colour with red spikes to represent them being dangerous. Above you can see the finished size. I have also based the Spiker Plant the same as my armies to keep in theme.

Deployment

For setting these up on the battlefield I plan on doing the following to make it fare.

After terrain set up but before deployment, split the board into six sections numbering each section.
Roll a D6 and place one Spiker Plant in the centre of that section
Roll for scatter on 2 D6, if a hit is scored the Spiker Plant will stay where it is otherwise it will scatter in the direction indicated.
Now roll a further D6, this will be how many other Spiker Plants are generated.
Roll for scatter on each individual Spiker Plant but only on 1 D6 and ignore hits, they will always scatter.
If any of the Spiker Plant go off the board or land on impassable terrain, move it the shortest distance required for it to be placed. They can be placed in difficult or dangerous terrain.

This should hopefully produce a nice little group of between two to seven Spiker Plants.

I hope you will enjoy having a go at creating one yourself and if you do, please email your pictures to me and I will post them to give others variation and inspiration of the terrain piece.

~ We care not what the Alien thinks; that we simply hate suffices ~

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360° Grand Master Valius

December 13, 2012, 1:21 pm

≫ Next: Battle Report: Defence of Dreadhaven Valley (part I)

≪ Previous: Spiker Plant

360° spinning photo

Grand Master Valius - 4th Brotherhood
This is my first of hopefully many 360° photos. I will be creating / buying a rotating pedestal and light box over the coming months to enhance the photos shown on the site. This 360° photo was a 30 stage shoot with very basis equipment, so the lighting is not great and the pedestal is very visible and clearly not right lol. Please take the Grand master for a spin and let me know what you think, also let me know in the comments / email if you like the 360° photo approach and would like more.
To find out more about this model 'Click Here'
With thanks to The Vanus Temple for the code & tutorial on how this was created

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Battle Report: Defence of Dreadhaven Valley (part I)

December 19, 2012, 10:00 am

≫ Next: 2013 Resolutions

≪ Previous: 360° Grand Master Valius

Imperial Guard & Raven Guard

Grey Knights, Tau, Blood Angels & Necrons

___________________________________

Before the outbreak of the 13th Black Crusade, Ursakar Creed was known to fight with many different detachments across the breadth of the galaxy. It was upon the desert world of Turambar that Creed encountered a little known Mordian Iron Guard regiment, dubbed simply as 'The Remnants.' Creed fought alongside the Remnants Colonel, Philias Horatio Atee in several battles. This is the tale of possibly their greatest...

Dreadhaven Valley, a vital resource upon the desert world... Simple, clean, water. In the seasons of storms, rainwater would flow down the valleys sides and sink into the deep aquifers. And so, wars had been fought here throughout Turambar's history, skulls littering the ground giving the site a reputation as a refuge for travellers and a site of horror in equal measure. The Imperium had claimed it, constructing a mighty fortress in the valley's midst. And yet, all such structures were temporary, the rainfall which made the valley so vital also, in time, washed away all stains upon its surface. Ruins, both Imperial and historical slowly sunk into the sands. Relics of past wars, even archaeotech from ancient civilisations lay half buried in the sand, bringing further reason for war. And so, in the 41st millennium, the cycle continued still.

The Xenos were coming, Lieutenant Bryar announced. "What kind?" "How many?" Were the obvious questions, with a simple answer. "All of Them."

The Tau had come, with many allies. The grim spectres of death, The Necrontyr battled alongside them. But that was not all, there was something far more disturbing as well... Dark rumours, the executioners... Though their names were unknown, their deeds of terror were known throughout the lowest ranks of the guard. They were the Bringers of The Warp, silencers of the Convent, and some of the most unreliable soldiers even claim these silver clad destroyers were responsible for the genocide of Armageddon...

But against all these foes, Atee and Creed had a slim chance of hope, it may have been simply a coincidence but, upon the entrances of each of their barracks lay a small, entirely intact raven's skull... A slim hope, but it was all they had. That, and the Might of The Imperial Guard...

The Evening Before

Creed cut the end off of his cigar, lighting it in a fluid motion. His Colour Sergeant, Kell looks on at him with a frown, a dreadful vice, something he should stop one day. There's a cough, a jowelly, heavyset man draws attention to himself. Despite being many years Creed's senior, Atee had recognised the warriors ability, deferring to his command. Atee had even phrased it as Creed's very own 'tactical genius.'

"Ursakar, my men are ready to depart, we'll find our answers then return as swiftly as we can." There's a solemn nod from Creed, "we'll need those superheavy reinforcements Colonel. I'm sure of it. Lord Commissar Royden, Gunnery Master Smythe and I shall hold the fortress with the men we have."

"You will not stand alone." A deep voice boomed, coming from the bunkers doorway. "My brothers shall join you in your darkest hour. Until then, our guns shall guard the Fortress's eastern flank." The figure filled the door to capacity, the light being absorbed by his ebony armour. Atee and Smythe saluted, standing at attention. Even The Lord Commissar himself followed. Creed just took a long draw of his cigar, "I've been waiting you, Sergeant. You'll find the position for your Devastators has already been prepared." There's a curt nod and the figure vanishes. Pushing past their stunned awe, Creed gestures to the Hololith. "You know the terrain, Gentlemen."

"We've had to abandon our outer bastion after the landing pad was destroyed. Our company shall make our gather here, at this Fortress of our Redemption. There we shall hold, as the Emperor's Shield against our aggressors and we shall endure!"

The Last Night

It began, as many things do, in darkness. The Sentries stood, perched upon the fortresses tower could see the clouds come in. Dirty, great, black... unnatural.... clouds shadowing over the clear moonlight. A desert in the midst of its dry season, it should be nigh impossible. Following the darkness, came a peal of thunder and a flash of lightning, striking the ground in the distance... Then, the tremors began. The sentry scanned with his magnoculars while his partner, Jones began loading his missile launcher. Something was out there, and it was coming closer. They weren't tremors, he knew what they felt like. This was footsteps, gigantic, heavy, footsteps. And then it appeared over the horizon. Canis Nex and the sentry knew, with utter certainty that his fate had come.

Creed stared over the ramparts, the just simply wasn't enough *time.* The Raven Guard sergeant had insisted that they should fire their opening volley as early as possible. He could not have disagreed with The Emperor's Angels... However, needs must. Though he wasn't the usual commander of The Remnants, he knew they would fight with Honour in The Emperors name. The heavily armed Catachans held the front line, men of the proud Mordians, Atee's own regiment alongside them. Anchoring his flanks, were his two remaining Baneblades. Atee would return with the reinforcements in short order. The Lord Commissar waited at the side, with his Ogryn Bodyguard. The enemy would not find them wanting. He had one final ace up his sleeve.A polite cough to gain Gunnery Master Smythe's, the man engrossed in consulting his wristpad. "Status?" "MiLord Creed." The man was always so dreadfully formal. "The Vortex Missile is reporting fully fuelled, countdown is commencing. We've also commissioned timed bombardments at the prearranged coordinates."

And so it was done, all he needed to do was see how his enemies arrayed of battle and who truly came to challenge them.

Grand Master Valius of the Grey Knights Chapter completed his prayers. Not for the lives of his men, no, for he knew their lives were already in The Emperor's hands. No, he prayed for the lives of those fools in that fortress. Ignorant fools, they had no idea what they were sitting on. The *heresy* on their very doorstep. And so, it was their souls he commended to the Emperor's. Bile rose in his throat, he had committed his forces, including his Inquisitorial Warhound Titan, Canis Nex to this dark alliance.

Forces of the Tau and Kroot stood by, awaiting his orders.

And then there was a strange, hunched figure clad in a scaled cloak lurked in the background, metal plating flashing as he moved; The Stormlord. His followers rising from the very sands to join in with the assault.

An alliance of xenos, how he hated this. The Raven Guard were here, of some vain nobility, deigning to help the Guardsmens foolish cause. Their stealth was legendary but no match to the skills of his scyring. And so, Valius requested yet more aid, from the Angels of Blood. They were waiting behind the moon now, ready to respond to the Raven Guards strike. He knew, given the choice, Dante would stand with the Guardsmen and the Raven Guard but, Dante did not have a choice. Valius' gift had made sure of that. There was always something... enjoyable about turning the relics and weaponry of Chaos against the Imperium's foes. And this Relic Weapon would ensure Dante's obedience until the Battles end. What comes after? Valius would deal with that at another time.

~ When thousands of Imperial Guard cannot with the fight, send in thousands more ~

Dale: Grey Knights, Tau, Inquisitorial Warhound Titan.

Mark; Blood Angels, Necrons, Baneblade.

Al: Imperial Guard, Shadowsword, Stormblade, Fortress of Redemption.

Kurt: Raven Guard, two Baneblades.

With special thanks to Al for hosting the game and creating the cinematic story.

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2013 Resolutions

January 2, 2013, 6:00 am

≫ Next: Painting Points System

≪ Previous: Battle Report: Defence of Dreadhaven Valley (part I)

0.005.013.M3

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you have all had a great holiday and looking forward to an amazing 40k year. I thought I would post a New Year Resolutions list and a wish list to start this year off, I will also periodically review the list and at the end of the year see how I have fared!

I have not posted for a few weeks due to real life and spending the holiday season with my family, but I have managed to get a little bit of hobby time in and will shortly start to post bits up. I have also noticed that quite a few other blogs use a Painting Points System to keep themselves motivated, being as I do get a little slow at times I thought I would give that a go as well. Credit go's to 'Lone Pilgrim' and 'Iron Legion' for giving me the initial idea for this.

Below you will find my Resolutions for 2013, and my Wish list. Happy gaming everyone.

In no particular order:

Resolutions for 2013

Publish Posts on a regular basis at least once a week.
Finish painting my Tau (I currently have 12 Kroot, 3 Stealth Suits, 4 Gun Drones, 1 Battlesuit and 1 Hammerhead to finish).
Finish painting my Grey Knights (I currently have 1 Dreadnaught, 2 Razorbacks and 1 Land Raider to finish).
Finish painting and modelling my Warhound Titan.
Post the rest of the Warhound articles.
Make plans for an entry into Games Day UK 2014 (got a lot of things going on this year and with all the painting I need to do, this project will be waiting for a while, I also need to try and up my painting skills a little, Object Source Lighting OSL one of them, I don't intend on winning, just want to have fun and take part)
Make some Objective Markers. (I hate those new dice, who want to fight over a dice lol)
Start a Red Scorpions Space Marine Army (Being a Scorpio birth sign, I thought it would be fitting, plus I love their Fluff).
Get all the Fluff I have in my head down onto paper and post on the site (It's complicated but I enjoy it, I like to have a reason for collecting armies and building terrain, what's that I hear; Forging a Narrative! Sound good to me).
Create an eye catching banner for the site and spread the word.
create a 360 gallery.
Design Inquisitor Ravenor and his Warband to mirror the Ravenor novels (wanted to do this for a long time and could be fun to play, anyone got any ideas on the chair?).
Finish my Terrain projects that have been sidelined.
Start posting articles from my gaming friends onto the site (Basically I want to get as many people involved as possible the whole idea for this site is to not only show the world my stuff but show other peoples talents and models as well, might not be professional stuff but I'm sure people would be interested).

OK; That's a lot hobby resolutions, if anyone has any ideas how I can accomplish this any faster or has any suggestions, please comment below or email me via the contacts page.

Wish List

Warhound Titan Mars Pattern Turbo Laser. 'Take a look' ££££
Grey Knight Librarian. ££
Convert a Terminator into Grand Master Mordrak and Ghost Knights to go with him (Not going to be cheap). This should be in Resolutions but I need to buy it first. ££££££
Two 10 man Grey Knight Interceptor Squads. ££££££££
Nemesis Dreadknight. £££
Paladin Squad to accompany my Grand Master / Brother Captain (This all tie in with my Fluff and will be fun to play). £££
Land Raider Crusader pack. 'Take a look' £
Stormtalon Gunship. £££
Space Marine Captain. ££
TAU! ££££££££££(When they arrive this year)

Now that is a very large wish list and as you can see by the £ symbols will cost a lot, good job I already have things to model and paint!

I will hopefully revisit these to list at the end of each season to give you an update on where I'm at. As mentioned above I will start a Painting Points system to keep me motivated and details will be posted soon.

~ To truly serve the Emperor you will need to Die in his service ~

↧

Painting Points System

January 3, 2013, 4:00 am

≫ Next: 2013 Wish List

≪ Previous: 2013 Resolutions

Painting Points System

Over the length of time I have been gaming, modelling and painting, I very often hit a wall. I get to a point where I just cannot find the motivation to do any painting. I really enjoy putting models together and quite a lot of the time find myself getting the magnets out or just doing subtle conversions to make the model a little different from the norm. Painting a small single model is fine, and if I am in the mood, painting a whole unit can be enjoyable. But facing something like 12 Kroot, that's when I hit the wall! I have had them for nearly two years and not really interested in painting them, but I have to because I want every model in my collection to be painted.

I often find most (not all) but most people I play only have around 10% or their army painted, usually the HQ or the latest model will be complete, but even then, they are generally not based. Now when I play a game against a 100% painted and based army, it just makes it all the better. Too long have I walked the unpainted mini path and I want to change. My goal is to not field a unit until it is painted a based, so grabbing inspiration from others I will adopt the Painting Points System (PPS) as outlined below.

Concept

The idea is simple, every model painted will earn a certain amount of points as detailed below.

Basic Points:

25mm base = 1 point
40mm base = 2 points
60mm base = 5 points
Monstrous Creature = 10 points
Small Vehicle = 15 points
Large Vehicle = 20 points
Terrain Feature = 10 - 20 points
Superheavy = 40 points

Bonus Points:

Character + 2 points
Extra Options + 0.5 per option
Based Model + 0.5 point per model
New Technique Attempted + 5 Points (one time bonus)
Transfers / Unit Markings + 1 point per unit
Weathering (Battle Damage) + 1 point per unit
Weathering (Dirt and Grime) + 1 point per unit
Completed Unit + 2 points per unit

So this is my Painting Points System (PPS), To really get me motivated every point will be turn into £1 to go into my hobby fund, this means that I will also need to make some scratch built terrain and scenery to make up the points. Apart from birthday presents or extreme saving this will be my only source of revenue to buy more models with.

Example I

A completed unit of 5 Space Marines that have been based and transfers added would earn 10.5 points giving me £10.50 for my hobby fund. Obviously this is great but to purchase something better I would need to make a small piece of terrain / scenery to give me an extra 10 points totalling to £20.50.

Example II

Those 12 Kroot I mentioned earlier that having been hanging around, if painted and based would earn 20 points adding £20.00 to the hobby fund.

Example III

A completed Razorback with Transfers and both types of Weathering would earn 20 points adding £20.00 to the hobby fund.

I will add a PPS Total at the end of every post where I have completed a unit and I will also add an ongoing Painting Points Total and hobby fund to the site to help my motivation and let you all know how I'm doing.

~ When the High Lords of Terra call the Imperial Tithe will be paid ~

Credit to 'Lone Pilgrim' and 'Iron Legion' for the initial idea

↧

2013 Wish List

January 10, 2013, 4:00 am

≫ Next: Painting Points & Hobby Fund 2013

≪ Previous: Painting Points System

So in my '2013 Resolutions' post, I included a Wish List, I thought I would elaborate on that list and combined with the Painting Points earned and Hobby Fund section in the side bar to the right, I would explain my reasons for the items on the list and will also update and add to it as I go.

The List is very geared towards the Grey Knights at the moment, because I would like to get them to as near to completion as possible this year, plus with the possible arrival of a new Tau Codex, they can wait.

I would like to have some feedback on the items I want to purchase and if you have any reason why for example, I should not get a unit because it is rubbish or suggest a unit alternative then please leave a comment.

Anyway, for those that may be interested, you will find the list below:

Wish List 2013

Nemesis Dreadknight. 'Take a look' £££ Need

I am quite often borrowing my brothers Nemesis Dreadknight for my Grey Knight lists so I need to get another for myself. So he can have his back.

Two 5 man Grey Knight Interceptor Squads.'Take a look' ££££ Need

Interceptors are a Fast Attack choice for Grey Knights and I would like to have two 5 man squads to accompany the Nemesis Dreadknight's. Having used proxies for this, it works well and sends a shiver up my opponents spine, very pricey points wise though!

Tau Fire Warrior Team. 'Take a look' £££ Need

I only have 1 Fire Warrior Team in my Tau Army, so even though the new Codex is only around the corner, I need to get another to effectively play 6th Edition games!

Tau XV104 Riptide.£££££ Desire

An extremely large battle suit / Monstrous creature. Got to have it.

New Tau Flyer. ££££ Desire

New Tau Flyer out in April, here come the Air Caste.

Bastion Upgrade Pack. 'Take a look' ££ Desire

Last year I purchased an 'Imperial Bastion' from ebay really cheap. It was already glued together and was missing the extra bits that comes with the kit and a couple oh Heavy Bolters plus the door, so by purchasing the Upgrade Pack I will have a fully functional Bastion.

Warhound Titan Mars Pattern Turbo Laser. 'Take a look' ££££ Desire

In February 2012 I purchased a 'Mars Pattern Warhound Titan' and later in the year bought a 'Plasma Blastgun', but due to lack of funds I could not get the Turbo Laser, as I plan on finishing the Titan this year I intend to get it.

Grey Knight Terminators. 'Take a look' ££££££ Desire

I want to convert a Terminator into Grand Master Vord Mordrak and Ghost Knights to go with him (Not going to be cheap) I need Mardrak plus 8 Ghost knight, 5 for his initial squad and 3 spare for if he gets all his rolls, take a look at 'Codex Grey Knights' for more information of his special rule.
The plus side of this is that I also want to make a Paladin Apothecary so I will have a spare model to do this.

Land Raider Crusader Pack. 'Take a look' ££ Desire

I already have a Landraider (not yet painted) and during the build I magnetised the side sponsons. By getting this kit and adding further magnets I will be able to swap between the standard landraider and a Redeemer. This will also led it's self to the 'Landraider Terminus Ultra' for apocalypse games. I also have a highly risky tactic for the Redeemer along with the Librarian for my Grey knight army. Who can guess what that might be?

Space Marine Command Squad. 'Take a Look' ££ Desire

This will accompany my Capitan into battle. enough said really.

Grey Knights Strike Cruiser. 'Take a Look' £ Wish for

To go with my Grey Knights and their Fluff I would like to get this and would also be included in a campaign I am working on.

Tau Custodian. 'Take a Look' ££ Wish for

I would like this as my flag ship to go with my Tau army and it can also be used to mark current deployment of the main force in a campaign I am working on.

Paladin Squad. 'Take a look' £££ Wish for

In my own opinion, I find Paladins to be too costly to take in any armies under 2.5K, to this end I my original Paladin squad has been transformed back into normal Terminators. However, I would like to make up a command Squad of Paladins to support my Grand Master / Brother Captain for the fun of it and reading the Fluff would be quite fitting. This is something I would like to try even if it is a bit pants on the table top lol.

Warhammer 40,000 Expansion: Planetary Empires. 'Take a Look' £££ Wish for

I want to start running a campaign with a difference and it will take some time to prepare but will involve two of these boxes.

Planetary Empire Hive City Tile. 'Take a Look' ££££ Wish for

To go with the above, I will need to get some Hive City Tiles, not sure how many yet.

Imperial Guard Valkyrie. 'Take a Look' ££££ Wish for

This will be my Inquisitors air transport. Now I know officially codex wise he cannot use a Valkyrie, but I like the idea that he is an Inquisitor and gets whatever he wants.

Valkyrie Transfer Sheet. 'Take a Look' ££ Wish for

These will be used to adorn the Inquisitors Valkyrie.

Imperial Guard Cadian Kasrkin Squad. 'Take a Look' £££ Wish for

These guys will for the basis for my Inquisitorial Warband, with a couple of extras and some small conversions will fit the part.

Grey Knight Librarian. 'Take a look' ££ Wish for

Everyone keeps telling me they are great in 6th Edition and I have written a list that uses one, so its time to get it. And if I paint it the right way I will be able to use it in Grey Knight or Space marine army.

Space Marine Captain. 'Take a Look' ££ ~~Need~~ Purchased

I have a ten man Tactical Squad, so with the above Stormtalon and a Captain I will be able to use them as Allies if I want. The Chapter I am creating will be revealed soon, but I want it as a surprise to the lads and ladies at my local gaming club so it's classified for now!

Stormtalon Gunship. 'Take a Look' £££ ~~Need~~ Purchased

I have wanted to start another army up for ages now and it is an army that really appeals to me, it is a Space Marine army and I figure what better model to kit start it off with.

Aegis Defence Line. 'Take a Look' ££ ~~Need~~ Purchased

Points wise will give me the anti flier support my armies need, plus combined with the Bastion Upgrade Pack will give me the Icarus Lascannon and Quad Gun to choose from to accompany both fortifications.

Forge World A4 Transfer Sheet. 'Take a Look' ££ ~~Need~~ Purchased

These are to go with the items at the bottom of the list and to finish off my recently painted Stormtalon. This also gives you a clue as to the Space marine Chapter I want to collect (And to Mark, no telling!!!)

~~Inquisitor.~~ ~~'Take a look' £~~ ~~Need~~ Purchased

I find myself fielding an Inquisitor along with my Grey Knights. Now I need to get a model to represent him, but I am not sure which one.

~~New Tau Codex.~~ ~~£££~~ ~~Need~~Purchased

Don't need to elaborate. I was going to get some new Tau toys to go with it, but after better judgement I have decided to read the new Codex before deciding on any new purchases.

The £ symbols are in £10 increments so some of the items will cost a lot, good job I already have things to model and paint!

~ In the darkest parts of the universe, you can still find Faith in the Emperor of Mankind ~

↧

Painting Points & Hobby Fund 2013

January 10, 2013, 4:40 am

≫ Next: FAQs and Errata January Update

≪ Previous: 2013 Wish List

Below you will find a list of all the Painting Points I have accumulated over the year and what I have contributed the Hobby Fund towards.

This list will update throughout the year as Painting Points are added and the Hobby Fund is emptied.

For more information on my Painting Points System click 'Here'.

To see my Wish List click 'Here'.

Painting Points Added:

January - 24

Stormtalon - Painted (15) Based (0.5) 3x Extra Options painted (1.5) and a new technique tried; my first go at Object Source Lighting OSL on the pilots eyes (5) = 22
Grey Knight Strike Squad II - Completed (2) = 2

February - 32.5

Grey Knight Terminator Squad I - Painted (10) Based (2.5) 2x Extra Options painted (1) Unit Markings (1) Completed (2) = 16.5

Aegis Defence Line - Painted (14) Completed (2) = 16

March - 45.5

Hammerhead Gunship - Painted (20) Based (0.5) Transfers / Unit Markings (1) Completed (2) = 23.5
Stormtalon - Transfers (1) New Technique tried (5) Weathering Battle Damage (1) Completed (2) = 9
Universal Objective Markers - Painted (6) Based (3) Transfers (1), Weathering Battle Damage (1) Completed (2) = 13

Hobby Fund Purchases:

January - 32

Aegis Defence Line = 18
Space Marine Commander = 14

February - 21.5

Inquisitor = 9.5
Forge World Transfer Sheet = 12

March - 30

Codex: Tau Empire =30

~ Only in Death will you have served the Imperium ~

↧

FAQs and Errata January Update

January 17, 2013, 4:00 am

≫ Next: 40k Tournament Advice Needed

≪ Previous: Painting Points & Hobby Fund 2013

Well today Games Workshop released a new set of FAQ's and Errata. Some armies have only one or two changes, Dark Eldar has the most. Below I have included the links to the FAQ and Errata's on the Games Workshop Website.

'FAQ's and Errata'

Forge World have also released the first of their updates, just follow the link to get there. They have only added the Zone Mortalis Expansion rules but according to Forge World they will be releasing further updates very soon.

'Downloads'

This latest update has really given me a lot more faith in Games Workshop. The hobby used to go for extremely long periods of time without any updates. But after my conversations with GW staff at the Games Day UK 2012 with the White Dwarf team telling everyone that the site would be updated more often, it looks like they are keeping to their word.

Hopefully the armies will get better for the right reasons and not to overpowering. and in case any of you have a question that you would like answered in future FAQ's click the link below to contact them.

'Gamefaqs@gwplc.com'

Happy gaming everyone.

~ To question your master is to betray the Emperor ~

↧

40k Tournament Advice Needed

January 30, 2013, 6:00 am

≫ Next: Tau Empire - Dal'yth Sept - 4th Hunter Cadre

≪ Previous: FAQs and Errata January Update

A bit of a different post today. Instead of showing the latest painted models etc. I want to ask advice from all of you Warhammer 40k Tournament players.

I plan on attending Throne of Skulls in Nottingham soon with a Grey Knight army. I have never played in a competitive environment before and I was looking for some advice? I am not going to post my army list just in case I end up playing someone who has read this post and cottons onto any advice I have taken on board. After all I do intend on giving people a run for their money.

I have spent the past couple of months putting together what I believe to be a competitive list, I have research other peoples experiences and taken on board some of that information. The list I intend on using is very different from all the of tournament lists I have see on the web but it contains units that I love to play and being that it is all about the fun, I would rather use what I like to play rather then the standard, use these units because they win games.

Below is a list of fears / concerns that I have regarding attending a tournament, if anyone could help iron these out I would be much obliged?

Necrons - I hate Necrons, every time I have played them with any army I have lost, are they the unbeatable army!

Imperial Guard - I have only every played against Imperial Guard twice, and one of those was an Apocalypse game, there are not many Imperial Guard players in my gaming circle so I am a little concerned that I do not have enough experience fighting against them!

Speed - Although I do not dither around while playing a game I am a bit unsure of the game turn around time in a tournament environment would I be correct is saying about two hours for a 1500pt game?

Painting - I am fully aware that for tournaments the model have to be GW / Forge World, Painted and Based, but do they have to be of extremely high standards to play at tournaments?

Army List - What format do army lists have to be written in i.e. Do I just list what I have with the total points cost or do I have to specify base points and they the added points next to each piece or wargear?

Tray - Do I need to have a special tray to place my models on or (and this is my thought) is this just for ease of transportation and tidiness? Also I have noticed that a few people have kind of modelled a tray like a diorama to place their models on (really like that idea) is that allowed?

Check out this link to my 'Strike Squad II' This is one of the Grey Knight Squads I intend on taking, let me know your thoughts on whether the painting is up to standard for tournaments.

Anyway, please feel free to comment or even email me with your tips, Hints and advice, all will be most welcome.

~ Only in Death has your duty been fulfilled to the Emperor of mankind ~

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Tau Empire - Dal'yth Sept - 4th Hunter Cadre

February 1, 2013, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Battle Report: Grey Knights vs Imperial Guard

≪ Previous: 40k Tournament Advice Needed

Tau Empire - Dal'yth Sept - 4th Hunter Cadre

The 4th Hunter Cadre is part of the Dal'yth exploration force. Their main objective to scout and investigate new worlds ahead of the main battle fleet, ascertaining if said worlds are ideal for inclusion into the Tau Empire. During the Third Phase of expansion they have come across ever more resistant worlds and races and have suffered great losses, but the Greater Good must prevail and the 4th Hunter Cadre have push on.

The Dal'yth Sept was one of the First Phase Colonies to be established during the early stages of the Tau expansion into space.

Dal'yth is a very cosmopolitan world where trade is valued as much as conquest. Tau from this world welcome offworlders and, as such, the world has seen the most contact with alien species. many Water caste merchants and traders come from this sept.

After the departure from the last world they surveyed, which was a very primitive but resource rich planet, the 4th Hunter Cadre inadvertently slipped into a worm hole and were thrown out into a system far from the reaches of the main battle fleet. Hope of the fleet following them were lost with the collapse of the wormhole moments after the event.

Several small incursions onto what is seemingly the main planet of the system, have given them enough information to understand that they are a great distance from the rest of the fleet and the Tau Empire, and will take a long time to be united again. The ruling Ethereal in the Cadre has decided to stay and carry out covert surveillance on the planets of this far away system, which they have managed to ascertained is called The Ostrius System. But all is not what it seems, and the air is rank with evil...

Commander of the 4th Hunter Cadre, Shas'o Dal'yth Or'es Shi, was one of the first to make planet fall along with a small recon force and Water Caste negotiators. Some how a race called the Eldar had foreseen their incursion and had teamed up with the ever feared Space Marines to thwart their mission. Meeting on the outskirts of an abandoned town the forces clashed. Unprepared for this encounter the Tau withdrew from the battle suffering several losses including the capture of a Water Caste negotiator.

The commander returned to the Custodian cloaked in high anchor and reported the missions downfall to the ranking Ethereal. Soon an attempt will be made to recover the lost Tau on the planet called Ostrius but further recon missions will need to be carried out in preparation.

The Tau have kept a cloaked Drone near the Worm Hole that delivered them here in an attempt to analyse it's properties, to see if re-entering the Worm Hole will take them back again, but by the Ethereal's orders, hast in their departure could cost more than deemed necessary...

~ By the One Path ~

↧

Battle Report: Grey Knights vs Imperial Guard

February 7, 2013, 4:00 am

≫ Next: Grey Knight Terminator Squad I

≪ Previous: Tau Empire - Dal'yth Sept - 4th Hunter Cadre

Grey Knights

Imperial Guard

___________________________________

The Imperial Guard have garrisoned themselves in a quiet, rural area of an Imperial World. In the aftermath of Dreadhaven Vally unbeknown to them, the Grey Knights of the 4th Brotherhood have come to purge them because they were there and they saw the Grey Knights on the desert world of Turambar! The aftermath of said battle saw this small contingent of Imperial Guard make escape and start to reform their forces. The 4th Brotherhood have made planet fall, and with dawn closing commence the purgation! The Imperial Guard will be cleansed?

The Armies

Grey Knights: 4th Brotherhood - 1500pts (Dale)

HQ
Grand Master Valius (Warlord)

Troops
5 Terminators with Psycannon

5 man Grey knight Strike Squad
Razorback with Lascannon
5 man Grey knight Strike Squad
Razorback with Lascannon

FastAttack
Stormravan

5 man Interceptor Squad Psycannon
5 man Interceptor Squad Psycannon

Heavy Support
Nemesis Dread Knight, Incinerator, Greatsword, Personal Teleporter

Imperial Guard - The Remnants - 1500pts (Al)

Company Command Squad: Lascannon, Master of Ordinance, Camoflauge,

Elite

Guardsman Marbo

Troops

5 man Platoon Command Squad - 4 flamers, in Chimera/heavy flamer

2 Infantry Squads - Autocannon, Grenade Launcher

2 Infantry Squads - Autocannon, Meltagun

10 man Veteran Squad - 3 melta guns

10 man Veteran Squad - 3 plasma guns, in Chimera/multilaser

Fast Attack

Valkyrie Carrier - Rocket pods, multilaser

Vendetta Gunship - 3 twin lascannons

Heavy Support

Leman Russ - Battle Cannon, Lascannon

Manticore

Fortifications

Aegis Defence Lines - Icarus Lascannon

The Mission & Battlefield Set Up

I won the roll off and rolled for the Crusade Mission and Vanguard Deployment. We set up terrain for a cinematic feel. Five Objectives were placed, one in each corner, two central on my side of the board and on on Al's side of the board.

My Warlord Trait was Personal Traits - Immovable Object and Al rolled Command Traits - Target Priority. Night fighting was in effect for the 1st turn. I also roll for my Grand Masters Grand Strategy making one Interceptor Squad a Scoring Unit.

Deployment

Al won the roll off and chose to go Second. I Deployed the Dreadknight on the left flank in the hope of teleporting into the heart of the enemy and positioned the other units to take the other objectives. I figured the Imperial Guard might attempt a gun line giving the Grey knight more manoeuvrability. Facing a Valkyrie, Vendetta and Quad-gun, I decided not to embark anyone in the Stormraven as I figured it may go down quite quick. Al set up a gun line as I thought but placed two Chimeras with I think Veterans inside to his left flank and deployed a unit in the woods just in front of the Defence line.

Grey Knight Deployment

Imperial Guard Deployment

Turn I

Grey Knights: Al attempted to seize the initiative but failed.
As per my initial battle plan, I jumped the scoring Interceptor unit over to the far left objective by the bunker (Mystery Objective +1 to cover saves).
Due to night fighting the razorbacks failed to destroy any vehicles.
The Grand Master and Terminators moved towards the centre objective, figuring they would take the brunt of Al's fire they would last a little longer.
Strike Squad II claimed my home objective while Strike Squad I headed out to the objective on my right flank.
The Dreadknight shunted towards the enemy deployment zone incinerating a unit and they proceeded to run 12".

Imperial Guard: Al's Guardsmen failed to rally and ran a further 7" in front of the Manticore.
Orders were sent to bring down the Dreadknight but the Dreadknight stood firm.
The Manticore started to lay down it's barrage of fire.
The Plasma gun Veterans let loose a few shots from their Chimera transports at the Grand Master and Terminators, who then proceeded to (cough) Tactically withdraw a few inches before the Grand Master decided to stop running.

Turn II

Grey Knights: Rolled for reserves and the Stormraven did not arrive (thank the throne).
I forgot to move the Dreadknight (will never make that mistake again) but he did flame two units so not a total waste.
Cleared the unit in the woods out (1st Blood).
Multilaser was taken off the far right Chimera.
All in all a very disappointing turn (must be due to the Daemon taint lol)

Imperial Guard: Morbo is still in reserve but the Vendetta and Valkyrie are on.
Manticore placed a barrage down on the Grand Master and Terminators taking out another Terminator.
Razorback II was wrecked by Lascannon and Multilaser Fire.
Fire was directed at the Dreadknight again but was ineffective only taking one wound.
Razorback I was immobilised.

Turn III

Grey Knights: Stormraven arrived from reserve and took out the Vendetta and remove a hull point from the Valkyrie.
Dreadknight moved this time and incinerated nearly an entire unit behind the Aegis Defence line, then proceeded to obliterate the Leman Russ.
Not much else happened for the 4th Brotherhood.

Imperial Guard: The entire Terminator unit was killed off by Marbo arriving and throwing a demolition charge putting the Grand Master down to 1 wound.
Dreadknight finally died through Meltagun fire from the disembarked Veteran unit.
The advancing Interceptor Squad is down to only two Grey Knights and regrouped on the Razorback Wreck.

Turn IV

Grey Knights: Grand Master ripped off Marbo's arm and beat him with the soggy end finishing him off.
Meltagun Veterans have run due to incoming fire.
Some manoeuvring was also achieved for better positioning.
Strike Squad I claimed the far right objective.

Imperial Guard: Veteran regrouped and embarked into the Valkyrie which proceeded to fly over to Strike Squad II on my home Objective, killing only one Grey Knight.

The Stormraven did take a lot of fire before crashing gloriously into the ground.

The Plasma gun Veteran in the far right Chimera headed for the right flank objective but the Chimera crashed into the rocks on the hill and had to hoof it on foot, but could not reach it to contest.

Battle Analysis

Grey Knight Victory: 5 Victory points to 2

Grey Knights: (Dale) "If the game had gone for another turn, I think Al would have been able to take everything out and tabled me (maybe). A great game and my first against a Guard army. I think I underestimated the Veterans and I should have had a different game plan for the Terminators. Oh, and I will never forget to move the Dreadknight again, that was a game changer!"

Imperial Guard: (Al) "We both pretty much ended up with one objective each that neither of us could touch at the end of the day and the orders worked very well. The Terminators were cut down nicely buy the plasma guns. Good game."

~ You are either for the Emperor or you are bitter foe ~

↧

Grey Knight Terminator Squad I

February 14, 2013, 4:00 am

≫ Next: FAQs and ERRATA February Update

≪ Previous: Battle Report: Grey Knights vs Imperial Guard

Grey Knight Terminator Squad I of the 4th Brotherhood

These battle brothers have had it rough. They were originally Paladins, but with different tactics now employed in 6th Edition, they have decided to go back to normal Terminators (That's if you can call Grey Knights normal). I have played around with lots of different equipment load outs for them and I have now finally rounded on my ideal unit.

The original paint job on these was not great at all and over the last couple of weeks I have done my best to re-paint them with a new technique and remove the Paladin Heads, but they are still not that brilliant. Some lessons are learnt the hard way. On the battle field they have also been a little hit and miss, lets hope this will change.

I started out with full on Nemesis Force Halberds, a Banner and a Psycannon. I quickly realised that this was not the way to go entering into 6th edition with the de-buff of power weapons, so I had to change.

I swapped out the Halberd for a Nemesis Daemon Hammer on my Justicar, enabling him to be able to take on anything in the 40k universe. Now with him taking the Peril of the Warp tests first it could be bad business, but for some reason I love the thought of the Justicar charging headlong into battle twirling a hammer in his hands installing fear into everything. So it stays!

The standard bearer has pretty much stayed the same. When assembling the unit it did take into consideration that I might not always have the points to take the banner, so I have magnetised the right wrist to enable weapon changes. I am quite proud of the banner, it took a long time to paint but the finished result is nice. I do plan on creating my own 4th Brotherhood banner at some point.

With my ideal load out, he will be equipped with a Nemesis Force Sword and not the banner. I am quite proud of the banner, it took a long time to paint but the finished result is nice. I do plan on creating my own 4th Brotherhood banner at some point.

With my ideal load out, he will be equipped with a Nemesis Force Sword.

I plan to magnetise the arm of one model in every Terminator / Paladin unit I get, so they can all use the banner if necessary and also be able to swap weapons.

This Terminator has not changed, I really like the pose, I can imagine him shoulder barging the enemy, ramming the pole arm of the Halberd into the face of another before holding the end and doing a little pirouette in the midst of combat slaying all his foes.

The Psycannon on this one is magnetised so he can be equipped with any of the heavy weapons, even though I doubt I will use them, but done all the same just in case.

Posed as if blasting the enemies apart with mass reactive rounds from the Storm Bolter before swinging his sword around to slice the enemy in half. This Terminator is the second sword carrier of the unit.

Being an additional Troops choice, they are an extremely flexible unit and used correctly, can shift the battle into a more favourable way. But used slightly wrong can be devastating for the unit and game. After all, spending a lot of points to effectively waste the unit by playing them incorrectly can make any grow man cry, and I have done so on several occasions with this unit. Another lesson learnt the hard way!

Anyway, hope you all like them and keep on rolling sixes.

PPS - 16.5

~ Only upon the the damnation of Chaos is death an option ~

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FAQs and ERRATA February Update

February 16, 2013, 8:07 am

≫ Next: Death from the Skies - Review

≪ Previous: Grey Knight Terminator Squad I

Games Workshop have today release new FAQs and ERRATA Updates, this coincides with the new 'Death From The Skies' Compendium (follow the link). It is worth reading these FAQs because it has effected from what I an see all fliers.

Also Codex Space Marine and Black Templar armies can now take Stormraven Gunships, which from a business perspective is a good move for Games Workshop. I expect to see lots of Stormravens in Space Marine armies very soon. Bring on the Quad Gun!

Anyway, follow the link below and check out all the new updates. I do believe I will be purchasing this new compendium not only so I have a copy of all the up to date rules but also for the new mission in it as well.

'FAQs and ERRATA'

It will also be interesting to see if Forge World also bring out an new flyer book or hopefully just an update to bring all their models up to date. We will see!

~ Faith is your only protection from the Archenemy ~

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Death from the Skies - Review

February 20, 2013, 5:00 am

≫ Next: Grey Knights - 4th Brotherhood - Strike Force Nexus

≪ Previous: FAQs and ERRATA February Update

Death from the Skies Compendium

With the release of the new flyer compendium and it only being available from 'Games Workshop' direct at the moment. Al has kindly completed a review from his own perspective having purchased the book. Below you will find his thoughts on the books content and it should give you insight as to what this compendium has in it.

AT £20, the book is 72 pages long. Soft-cover reminiscent of the old Campaign book covers (e.g. Black Crusade)

The back cover is just a load of pictures of the flyers for sale.

Page 5 - 20: "The Battle of Cadrim" - This looks like a slightly extended version of the section in White Dwarf when the Stormtalon came out. It includes the same pictures of the White Scars armies etc.

Page 23 - 29: Air War Missions.

Mission 1: Deadly Bridgehead: Space Marines with Necron allies, against Orks.

Mission 2: Scramble; Space Marines vs Orks.

Mission 3: Aerial Assault: Necrons vs Orks with Space Marine allies.

Mission 4: Death from the Skies: Necrons V Marines.

Page 32 - 40: Burning Skies - Looks like a reprint of the Crusade of Fire rules.

Page 40 - 55: Gallery pictures.

Now we're coming to the important bit.

Page 56: Stormraven Bestiary: It includes the FAQ updates. eg. a Dreadnaught taking s10 hits if the flyer explodes and is zooming. The important note is Blood Angels and Grey Knights armies use the rules printed here though their Stormravens have additional wargear options and rules - see the army list for details. Also, new piece of artwork. An Ultramarine Stormraven.

Page 57: Storm Talon: Still 2 HP. It now has the Strafing Run rules. Type (Flyer, Hover). Escort craft rules looks to be clarified to avoid anything BS-ey. Can't escort anything using Outflank / Deepstrike. Plus other stuff. NO supersonic rules.

Page 58: Valkyrie/Vendetta: Exactly the same as the Imperial Guard Codex, but with HP's added in - Same as rulebook. Also the Grav Chute Insertion rules have been updated with the FAQ rules.

Page 59: Voidraven / Razorwing: I'm assuming these are the same? Razorwing Armour 10, Voidraven Armour 11. Night Vision/Supersonic rules.

Page 60: Doom Scythe: Looks the same as before.

Page 61: Night Scythe: Broadly the same as before. They clarify the embarked unit doesn't take damage when destroyed. Also they enter through normal reserves? No mention of re-embarking on a night scythe... However. "If a night scythe has moved more than 24", the disembarking unit may only fire snap shots".

Page 62: Dakkajet: No Hover. However, Strafing run, supersonic. Fighta Ace upgrade has been renamed to 'flyboss' - it basically gives him Strafing Run against things you don't get strafing run against.... Aside from that, same as before.

Page 63: Burna Bomber, Blitza Bomber: Seems the same as before, with obvious changes. No hover. Supersonic, waaagh plane! Points costs and upgrades are identical to White Dwarf.

Page 64: Wargear. A burna bomb is a bomb... Death Ray looks like it has rules changes... It hurts friendly models too. It can't hurt zooming flyers or flying monstrous creatures.

Page 65: Wargear. Everything looks the same.

Page 66: Stormstrike Missiles: I dunno what to say, they actually seem to kick rear end... S8, AP2, concussive.

Page 68: Army List:

Storm Raven: Heavy Support: Yup, Space Marines and Black Templars get Stormraven. Nothing for space puppies. Grey Knights and Blood Angels don't get stormstrike missiles. The rest looks broadly similar.

Storm Talon: Marines/Black Templars only (typical). Fast Attack. A lot cheaper in points. The most expensive version is 10 points cheaper than before.

Page 69: Army List:

Valkyrie And Vendetta: Identical to earlier rules.

Page 70:

Razorwing, Voidraven, Doom Scythe, Night Scythe:

I think these are identical to their normal rules.

Page 71: The Ork Flyers: In all honesty, they seem the same as the white dwarf. I think someone with more of an Ork brain will need to pick out the differences.

Page 72: Summary Page.

So, there you go. That's what you’re getting for your £20, and that's what the FLGS are losing out on.

So, in summary, it seems only Black Templars and Codex Marines players really need to buy it.

Many thanks to Al for the above article. For more of Al's posts 'Click Here'.

Here is a link to the 'Death from the Skies' Compendium on Games Workshops website.

Please also take a look a the 'FAQs and ERRATA February Update' post to check out some of the changes that have been clarified.

Please feel free to comment on this review and share your thoughts! Just remember to keep them constructive.

If you would like to post an article on this site about the 40k hobby, please head over to the 'Contacts' page to find out how. It's easy!

~ Look to the skies, for Death will surely follow ~

Image courtesy of Games Workshop

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Grey Knights - 4th Brotherhood - Strike Force Nexus

March 1, 2013, 4:00 am

≫ Next: Grey Knight Strike Squad I

≪ Previous: Death from the Skies - Review

Grey Knights - 4th Brotherhood - Strike Force Nexus

We are the hammer; I am the right hand of the Emperor, the instrument of His will, the gauntlet about His fist, the tip of His spear, the edge of His sword.

Dark times are closing on the Imperium. The Ruinous Powers are increasing their presence in the material realm, disgorging from the Warp at every chance and sowing the seeds of Chaos. The Imperium's response to this great threat, are the Grey Knights of Titan, designated Chapter 666 and created in utmost secrecy with the purist of geneseed derived from the Emperor Himself during the Horus Heresy for one purpose. The defence of mankind from the archenemy! They are the Emperors chosen and stand apart in the never ending war against evil.

Strike Force Nexus is only but a small contingent of the Grey Knights 4^th Brotherhood. Established by Grand Master Valius and the Ordo Malleus Inquisitor Quartermain, the Strike Force has been deployed to the Ostrius System on the Eastern Fringe as guided by the Prognosticars on Titan, to investigate the arrival of the anomaly known as the Nexus Worm Hole and the encroaching threat of Chaos.

Armed with the most potent weaponry and travelling aboard one of the fastest Strike Cruisers available in Grey Knights Fleet, they are able to strike hard and fast into the maelstrom of Hell and have translated into the system undetected to ascertain the current situation.

Within hours of the Grey Knights arrival, reports of Zenos activity are acknowledged and to complicate matters further, the Eldar have been found consorting with a small battle force of Salamander Space Marines. With unerring precision, a surgical strike was made by Strike Force Nexus, with a short lived battled the Eldar and Salamander alliance was no more. Reasons for why these two enemies would collaborate are yet unfounded.

Surveillance and Astropath communication of the highest priority have revealed that the system is indeed troubled of late, and since the haphazard arrival of the Worm Hole, unrest has ensued across the worlds as fighting breaks out. Other sources have rumoured that the Tau are somewhere in the system but their location is undetermined at present and indicates that the trailing end of the anomaly is not selective of its prey or destination.

Upon departure from Titan the Prognosticars warned of a great threat but could not determine on the origin, so Grand Master Valius and Inquisitor Quartermaine decided to bring along the strongest arsenal they could muster in the short time they were given, and not only brought along a pack of Nemesis Dreadknights to aid the force, but also the terrifying might of Canis Nex. Who knows what Ruinous Power could expunge from the Nexus Worm Hole next, and if Daemon and Chaos are delivered unto the Ostrius System, then the 4^th Brotherhood will be waiting.

~ I fear nothing, but you Will fear me ~

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Grey Knight Strike Squad I

March 7, 2013, 4:00 am

≫ Next: Aegis Defence Line and Quad Gun

≪ Previous: Grey Knights - 4th Brotherhood - Strike Force Nexus

Grey Knight Strike Squad I of the 4th Brotherhood

This was the first Grey Knight Strike Squad I built. Again they have a standard load out with the addition of a Psycannon for protection against armour. Keeping these guys cheap in points was the main idea and now serve as my home objective keepers. Positioned behind cover correctly gives them a high survival rate and being Grey Knight are a deterrent in themselves for any assaulting unit.

I painting the unit up last year using the old paints and so I imagine they will differ slightly in colour to newer models. Being as they were painted so long ago they will not contribute to my painting points for this year. They do have a Razorback to accompany the squad, but will only be deployed in higher point games.

I was unsure at first whether to add a Nemesis Daemon Hammer to the unit, but after careful consideration and really thinking about there roll in my army, I have concluded that they are better off with just the Heavy Weapon, after all to make the Daemon Hammer truly effective I would have to give it to my Justicar and unfortunately for me, he does seem to fail his Psychic tests often.

Without further rambling here are the Grey Knights of Strike Squad I.

So that is Strike Squad I in all their glory. Their Dedicated Transport will be posted soon.

~ When the Ruinous Powers are dying, their last thought will be of us ~

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Aegis Defence Line and Quad Gun

March 14, 2013, 5:00 am

≫ Next: Tau Hammerhead Gunship

≪ Previous: Grey Knight Strike Squad I

Aegis Defence Line and Quad Gun

Here is my first completed Fortification, the Aegis Defence Line. The Defence Line offers you guaranteed terrain to set up behind, as well as the option of comms or gun emplacement. I have only ever used the Quad Gun with the Aegis Defence line as I find I miss quite a bit with powerful single shot weapons such as the Icarus Lascannon. Being able to set up a 28" long barrier in your deployment zone is very good for keeping those home based objectives secure.

In recent games I have moved away from using my Stormraven, mainly because I am trying out my tournament list and due to the unusual composition, I cannot spare the points to fit it in. Nor can I find the optimal use for it, hence the inclusion of the Aegis Defence Line and Quad Gun. With the Interceptor special rule I have a good chance of knocking at least one flier out of the air the moment it arrives and gives me that little bit of anti-air support.

Although that paint scheme is quite simple, it still took quite a while to paint, but the final result I believe is quite good. One of the things I wanted to achieve was to give it a colour scheme that would be appropriate to use with any army and look like it is deployed first and collected last on a battlefield. I normally have the Aquila on things painted gold, but I saw this done in white on another blog and found it quite pleasing to the eye. The whole thing was washed to make it look aged and battle worn.

I decided to add a very small amount of colour to the rear of the Defence Lines, by painting what I think are the controls for the firing slit shutters. Green to power on, Red to power off and the Blue is for shutter up / down action. Well that's my own interpretation anyway.

The quad gun is an awesome looking weapon and to be honest, also you can't really miss with it! The base of the emplacement I have painted the same as the Defence lines to keep the theme and the gun it's self has been given a basic look with only the skulls gold and the targeting lenses red. The controls on the rear are similar with Green to power on, Red to power off, Blue for manual control and Orange for automated. Altogether a nice piece of Fortification. I will be soon painting up my Imperial Bastion I got from ebay in the same way which will in turn give me all the weapon options.

The last couple of aerial shots really show the size of an enclosed Defence line.

PPS - 16

~ To admit defeat is to blaspheme against the Emperor ~

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Tau Hammerhead Gunship

March 21, 2013, 5:00 am

≫ Next: Red Scorpions Stormtalon Gunship

≪ Previous: Aegis Defence Line and Quad Gun

Tau Hammerhead Gunship

The Hammerhead Gunship with Railgun. Be afraid, be very afraid! I love fielding this tank, even though every time I use it I constantly roll 1's to hit with it's single shot, I still take it in my army due to the threatening persona it has on the battlefield. Armed with one of the most powerful weapons in the 40k universe, what's not to love.

I have had this model for a very long time, I would even say over two years. For some reason I lost interest in painting my Tau and it kind of got forgotten about. However, thanks to the painting Point System this has been rectified. I think it was all the line painting I need to do just put me off. However I have now finished it and it looks pretty good I think.

Adding the Dal'yth Sept symbols to the side hatches ties it in with the rest of my army. I have also added some vehicle markings as well. I will say that painting sept markings are not my strong point but from a distance it looks OK.

Again large Sept symbol on the rear hatch.

And the view from the other side.

I added a small symbol to the commander cupola and I'm not sure why, but I also added a bonding knife transfer to the main gun it's self. I think that this was in the hope of helping it to actually hit something, or at least stay away from those 1's.

I love the profile of this tank, it really give the sense of speed and shaped so that projectiles will just glance off of it. I opted to have the Smart Missile system instead of Gun Drones or Burst cannons, the idea behind this is due to not needing to have line of sight I can effectively still keep it well hidden while taking out troops getting to close.

PPS - 23.5

~ The Strength of your force may be calculated by multiplying it's weight and velocity. Strive always to maximize both and Victory shall be yours ~

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