Changer of the Ways...

Well, guess what? lol
I only went a reverted to type and stuck with chaos!
This time though I went and got the chaos daemons codex, along with some daemonettes and some pink horrors.
Traditionally, I have hated painting daemons, so this army will be both annoying , challenging and rewarding all at once for me!

Army look
Well, no pics yet guys (you'll need to wait for the showcase) but the army features quite a few models I already had, as well as a few new additions.
The army is currently led by by Great Unclean one ( yes a real life proper Nurgel daemon- finally) and features 1squad of daemons from each of the 4 powers, along with a Slaaneshi Daemon Prince.
It comes to somewhere in the region of 1000pts at the minute, so I don't plan to add much more to bump it up to 1500 points.
The plan is to add to the existing daemon squads, add a couple of fast attck and elites choices and a second HQ choice to complete the force, though that soul grinder model does give me the chills...

Other news
Well, I went into Games Workshop (as we saddos are wont to do) and was approached by the store manager, who asked me what I was playing at the minute etc. Poor bugger. He got BOTH BARRELS from me about how cack the new Chaos Space Marine Codex was. He was taken aback at first, but then kinda tried his best to placate me over my issues with the new edition. I have already ranted, so just look back a couple of posts and you'll see what I am on about. He was shocked when I said that 20 years of collecting, painting converting and gaming were thrown down the tubes by the book, but offered advice on how I could use the new codex slightly differently to my advantage.
I have taken the advice on board, and the Chosen of chaos will return to action and we'll see how they get on.
I did also state that I thought it was utter tripe that there are Chapter specific codexes for Loyalist marines. Why doesn't chaos have that? Surely there legions of traitor marines had their own style of combat and warfare, as well as cultural individuality. I ended up demanding that there should be legion codexes for Iron Warriors, World Eaters, Emperors Children, Death Guard, Night Lords, Alpha Legion and Word Bearers, with Black Legion being the "vanilla codex"
This again started the ole juices spinning away....

Deano's Death Guard Codex.
Yup, that's right! My very own codex for my very own legion.
It wasn't that difficult to come up with ideas and points values for the different sqauds on offer either.
This is what I have so far:
All independant characters MUST have the mark of Nurgle.
Infantry squads may not take any heavy weapons AT ALL. Special weapons only.

HQ
The Only Special Character on offer is TYPHUS
Summoned greater daemons MUST be great unclean ones, as per codex Daemons, though they still dont use up an actual HQ choice from the force selection chart.

Elites
Chosen Plague Marines- 26 pts each. May not take heavy weapons, but are plague marines that can infiltrate.
Plague Marine Terminators - 46 pts each. (vanilla terminators cost double vanilla marines, so this pv is double the cost of a plague marine) Same options as per codex csm, but may not take reaper autocannon. Terminators feel no pain, are fearless and carry blight grenades, along with the +1T for being nurglesque. Icons that are carried are personal icons, costing 10pts.
Possessed- As per codex. Models suitable converted as Nurglesque. Also feel no pain. 30pts each instead of 26 to account for this.
Dreadnought- As per codex, but "slow and purposeful"

Troops
Plague Marines- as per codex
Nurgling bases - as per codex Daemons
Summoned daemons are plague bearers, as per codex Daemons, but they dont use any force chart selection choices. In game terms they still count as troops and can seize and hold objectives.

Fast Attack
Beasts of nurgle - as per codex Daemons
Plague marines in a rhino- up to 2 squads mounted in rhinos may be counted as fast attack choices. In game terms, this would mean that the amry could potentially have up to 8 troops choices.

Heavy Support
Plague marine Havocs - as per plague marines, but up to four marines may exchange weapons for special weapons (assault weapons) instead of 2.
Obliterators- only up to 1 squad
Predator- as per codex but may be fitted with sponsons armed with heavy flamers for +30pts.
(I always like to think of them as more of a kinda "pus sprayer" sorta thing)
All other options as per codex CSM

PLEASE GOD TELL ME ITS FAIR AND LET ME USE IT!!!!

That's it for now though. When I got more to show and or tell, you'll see it here!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand- RELAX!!

Wow! That last post was bleak!
Let's bring back the positives again:
Weekender- YAY!!
BEER- YAY!!
Great small games- YAY!!
KEBAB-YAY!!
Time well spent with good friends- YAY YAY YAY YAY!!!!!

NEWS FROM THE RECRUITMENT CENTRE...

Well, the Ultramarines force has doubled in size! It now has a scout and and a chaplain! Eventually the plan would be to build a proper battle company as per the old space marine codex back ground info shows.
That means:
HQ- Captain, Chaplain and Apothecary
Troops- 6 tactical squads
Fast attack - 2 assault squads, bikers, land speeders
Heavy support - 2 devastator squads, land raiders
Elites - Dreadnoughts

So sayeth the book!

In game terms I think I can elaborate a little:
HQ1- Captain with command squad, including apothecary- options for terminator armour and maybe some sweet conversion work... in either a Razorback or some sort of Land raider.
HQ2- Chaplain and Reclusiam command squad- again scope for comversion with robed marines in black power armour with Ultramarines chapter markings (that actually made my mouth water lol)
Elites- Venerable and Ironclad dreadnoughts, plus techmarine with servitors in a razor back.
Troops- 6 Tactical squads in rhinos. Again I could always swap out tactical squads for scout squads for different games.
Fast attack- 2, 10 strong assault squads with lots of weapon variations included.
Also worth considering removal of back packs and placement in transports as a tactical option.
third choice is a toss up between 3 land speeders opr a bike squad with an attack bike...
Heavy Support- 2, 10man devastator squads in rhinos and a land raider. But that said, I would still like to throw in different tanks every now and then for flexibility and fun.

What does it mean for the collection? I hear you cry!
Well, it means hours of work, it means loads of dosh and it means years to complete.
My plan to start with is to have:
Chaplain and Command squad in Razorback
Dreadnought
Tactical Squad in Rhino
Scout squad
Assault Squad
Vindicator
Along with anything else to make it up to 1500 points.

I am also at the stage when I am thinking about dropping the whole idea and just getting more chaos stuff, like raptors, daemons (including codex), vindicators and defilers, not to mention more rhinos and bikers. Perhaps combining the chaos daemons and csm codexes would yield more character in my forces...
I do dislike the chaos codex, but perhaps there is an element of distrust and I am not used to it yet, I don't know. Perhaps I need to simply persevere and hang in there.
The prospect of noise marines has been appealing to me of late too, and I like the thousand sons rules for marine killing bolter ammunition...

Or even dropping THAT idea and getting something completely different, a step away from what I am used to, like 'nids, necrons or even Orks.

Sooooooooooooooo torn!!

The weekend's events have really turned the juices of imagination up to full power, and my mind is racing away with ideas faster than I can write them down. That invariably means a lot is being lost in the ether between skull and writing arm.

I may even try and bribe the missus into gaming with me (small patrol games only) just to keep in practise.
The major thing that sticks in my head was rolling 41 dice for assaulting troops in the big finale. It's one of the reasons I play and keep playing. There is just something about rolling a shitload of dice, hearing the clatter as they roll and watching your opponents face as you pick out the misses and hits that makes 40k and warhammer some of the best games on the planet. That and almost every time you play, it's different.

Well, this happy gaming addict is off to ponder at the games workshop site for even more ideas(!) and maybe the plan for Ultramarines will fade and be replaced with more chaos, who knows?

Mixed Musings of the Weekend

Wow! MonuMENTAL weekend!
Loads of beer and kebab.
Loads of Gaming? Not quite, but it was our first sortie into an unknown place, and I think it worked out ok in the end.

My first game was a bit of a classic tussle as the Necromundan 10th took on elements of the Black Legion.
It was 1500 points per side, and here's a rough idea of what I chose:
HQ
Company command squad, including medic and vox caster with regimental standard. Ialso kitted them out with carapace armour for a little survivability.
Ministorum Preacher with las pistol, chainsword and rosarius.
Elites
Ratling Snipers squad.
Troops
Infantry platoon with las cannon heavy weapon squad, 3 commissars, heavy bolter, autocannon 2 melta guns and a plasma gun. (Platoon command and 2 squads, plus heavy weapon squad). The 2 infantry squads I also stuck in chimeras, just for that element of extra punch from armour.
Fast Attack
Armoured sentinel
Hellhound tank
Heavy Support
Leman Russ
All came in at 1500 points! For guard armies, you always get plenty of troops for your points!

My opponent, a buddy of Nick and Dom's called Kieran, fielded the following (apologies to Kieran if it's spelt wrong!)
HQ
Kharn the Betrayer
Greater Daemon (Bloodthirster Model, but not used as one)
Elites
2 Dreadnoughts
Troops
Chaos Space Marine Squad
Thousands Sons Squad
Heavy Support
Defiler
2 squads of 4 obliterators

From the battles supplement we picked a scenario that used control of objectives to determine the winner, and we had 5 to scrap over!

As an experienced chaos player from the days before yore, I knew that my trusty guard were in for a tough scrap, and that assaults were going to be brief, bloody and bad for my guys!
Deployment was easy for the guard. I positioned my objectives and set up a classic "firing line" with chimeras in the centre and on my left flank the leman russ. The right flank was occupied by both the hellhound and the sentinel. My plan was simple- shot the enemy to pieces before I got cut to shreds in assault, unless I could be assured of victory in an assault, I wouldn't be risking one.
Kieran set up his army with the dreadnoughts in the centre, Kharn and the chaos marines on his right flank and the thousand sons on the right flank. The defiler placed behind the dreadnoughts and the obliterators in reserve to deep strike (gulp).
I had a bad feeling in my guts about this, but I had trust in my troops, and knew that my heavy weapons teams would be busy...

The game flew by in a flurry of turns, and I don't recall too much of the detail (that could be a beer related memory failure...)
I do recall that my leman russ fired its battle cannon relentlessly, accounting for all but one of the chaos space marines and took out Kharn himself! Mind you, slaying the betrayer cost me the tank itself, which was a hard thing to bear for such a remarkable bit of tankmanship...
My snipers also caused some grief for the thousand sons and attracted considerable fire from the chaos units, allowing me to cause more mayhem with my guard squads.
The hellhound tank also served the emperor well, slaying a greater daemon and several thousand sons marines!
I think the units that did the least were probably my guard infantry squads, whose lasguns had little or no use against the armour facing them.
I hopefully used the guard orders rules to good effect too and it was good to see that the guard are now more balanced thanks to the new rules in the codex.
I was nearly undone by the obliterators, who used deep strike to appear directly behind my firing line and began cutting me to shreds in short order. Kudos to Kieran for good use of those guys!
The game finished with evidence of my costly error!
My army was way more intact than kieran's, but I only controlled 1 objective, as did Kieran. I actually left one objective to launch a suicidal counter- attack the obliterators! With one turn left!
So the game finished with 1 objective a piece, 2 contested and one left all alone (nice one Deano, what a dufus!!).
Great game though, which swung in every conceivable direction until the final, and I think fairest conclusion.
Both sides made tactical errors, and a few dodgy judgement calls at critical times by both of us nearly cost us the game!
I was really impressed with the way the guard performed overall though. They were a bit static, true, but the withering hail of lasgun and heavy weapon fire really did take its toll, particularly with effective fire from the vehicles.
I felt that Kieran may have tried to slug it out toe to toe with my guardsmen with firepower. His firepower was effective, but if his troops had advanced as well as fired it may have been a different outcome. Saying that, he only had two scoring units on the board with his marines so his best hopes lay in the attack of the obliterators to contest objectives and his dreadnoughts mowing down guardsmen.
Hopefully we both took a lot from the game in terms of tactical development. Nice one Kieran!

Saturday
Saturday consisted of me going BLEUGH a lot and being jaded and miserable. This was mainly due to the beer the night before, the poor diet (lack of food) and the crud night's sleep I had. I was also hearing all about the special characters from the Blood Angels Codex and the Space Wolf codex, and noticing that the Chaos Codex had nothing even remotely comparable ( more of that later).
The day started off with a good ole game of space hulk against Liam, Dom's li'l bro!
The game was the first scenario, with the simple (!) task of of reaching a room and flaming it. Oh wait, I forgot about the zoggin genestealers!
It wasn't too difficult though. With extensive use of overwatch on the corridors, I cut off possible lines of assault and cut swathes of stealers down with precise storm bolter fire. Sweet!
A win for the marines on the hulk!

Last business for the weekend was the Apocalypse game.
I will admit I got a right monk on when all the special characters started hampering the special abilities of my leaders and my troops capabilities of deep striking. It was really frustrating as I simply couldn't even get involved in the game, and it seemed as though whatever I tried to do in the game, there was a special character with a special rule that either slowed me down, prevented me from doing something or simply wiped the floor with me.
The chaos codex was failing me, BADLY, and the Games workshop staff seemed to be favoring the Blood Angels chapter a little too much for my liking.

I remember commenting halfway through the battle that there was no way I could win the game.
I was told it wasn't the right attitude, and to an extent that's true. However, the game seemed very VERY one sided towards the Blood Angels, and the only person at fault was the Games Workshop Blood Angels ass kissers.

Now, I'll take nothing away from a game where my troops cannot do anything except drop like flies. And I was determined that the only way I would ever make any progress from the game was to hit the special characters with everything I had. So I did, and with help from Liam's Salamanders we began to make progress. But it was too little too late, as the marines of the space wolves and blood angels simply swept my chaos troops aside with yet more special abilities and firepower that I simply could never hope to match.
That's right- MORE special characters, MORE special rules and ALL Blood Angels!

We nearly salvaged a draw in the end, thanks to late arrivals from deep strike troops (by luck) and daemons, but were undone by time more than anything. I still believe though that it was a game that was nigh on impossible to win from the outset, and it was all due to the inconsistency of GW to create forces that square off against one another to give truly exciting, gripping and fulfilling games.

Aftermusings
I'll take very little positives from the last game, but all credit to Dom, I really do mean it. He knew his characters were hard, he knew his codex was meaty, and he played his army to its strengths. Just like I would do, and have done in the past. His plan was coordinated well with Nick's and they took the fight to me. I pretty much gave up on the game early on and should really have just conceded to allow us to play better smaller games until clear up time, instead of enforcing a foul mood on proceedings. Apologies to all for that, I was a gimp and it was out of character. Next time I will concede to allow for small games to be played rather than spoil what should have been the climax to an awesome weekend. BE WARNED!!!

I also tried to make the best of a dire situation, and several of my squads in play managed to give a good account of themselves in the end.
The Space Wolves were also a major thorn in my side with special rules to prevent and hinder deep striking from their psykers, not to mention loads of land raiders!

THE ULTIMATE RANT OF A MAD B****RD
The game left me hating the chaos codex. It's crap. Abaddon no longer has any shooting abilities despite the Talon of Horus (traditionally speaking) being a lightning claw with a twin linked bolter on the back, and his sword being a daemon weapon. Now the whole shebang counts as a daemon weapon. Yes it confers strength and power weapon abilities on him, and gives him bonus attacks, but that's it that's what the sword did in the previous edition. His profile isn't that awesome any more and the only thing he kept from last edition was his 4+ inv save. Utter poop.
There are numerous other problems too. Daemons are now generic for the codex, so in order to have deity specific daemons, you must purchase the daemons codex and add them as allies. PANTS.
You want a small squad with just a heavy weapon? Not possible for troops choices any more. Now you have to have 10 models to achieve that, so gone are the days of small tactical fire support squads of 5.
Fast attack? Only 2 options (you can't count spawn as fast attack, they aren't fast- that's a clue GAMES WORKSHOP) and although I love my bikers ( I do, honest) and think raptors would be cool in my army, there is nothing else to add. What happened to furies?
Heavy support? Finally some good news! Vindicators have been added! And defilers have fleet of foot rule. Obliterators are cheap for the points too.
There the good news ends, especially if you like to play Iron Warriors. No Basilisks. Obliterator weapons have been cut right down.
You can no longer field armies that are power specific, like death guard, without fielding generic tat that doesn't fit. My Death Guard Terminators aren't plague marines any more. They are vanilla chaos terminators with a nurgle icon. PANTS. If you want plague daemons- can't have em without using codex chaos daemons. PANTS.
The old codex allowed for all of this. With fewer pages, better wargear and even advice on how to build deity specific armies.
The new codex has robbed me of £15, wasted all my (MANY) years of carefully selecting and modelling my own "perfect force" with great conversions agonised over and then even let me down in battle. I feel genuinely cheated on every level. Especially when I come up against opponents in a large battle with equal points values and find that the balance is anything but even. ROBBED, CHEATED and then INSULTED.

I am building a new force now, and that means going into GW Plymouth to make purchases. I hope the staff are ready, coz I am one disgruntled Chaos Player.
It was at least comforting to see I am not alone. Dark Angels Codex, when compared to codex space marines is apparently no different. ROBBED CHEATED and then INSULTED.

I am also permanently put off from playing apocalypse games. Too many points, unbalanced forces and not enough time. The special rules sections in the book are confusing and pointless, and unless you have divisions of troops and specialist war machines and tanks, it seems pointless playing.
I was told that the chaos armies really do well in tournaments. Perhaps that's something to do with no special characters...? It's the only way the playing field is truly level.
Positives:
I have looked at planet strike, and I liked that- mainly because time has been spent making sure forces are balanced, which makes for excellent gaming, and the battle report looked like a fun day of gaming.

So, rant over. Conclusions?
Chaos CODEX- shite
Blood Angels Codex-Special Characters are TOO GOOD (game spoiling)
Apocalypse Games- STOOPID
Guard- Great (finally)
Space Hulk- same as its always been- good fun to play for an hour, any longer and it just drags.
Planet strike?- Looks promising
Cities of Death- I'll have to wait and see on that score.

Apologies for seeming miffed folks, but at least this musing is honest, which I will always try to be.

IN THE END
Massive thanks to Nick, Dom, Liam, Kieran and Rory for coming over and joining in. I really hope you had a good time and next time will be better. I will be reluctant to partake in any apocalypse games though and need SERIOUS convincing...
EVEN MORE MASSIVE THANKS to the long suffering WAGS of the gaming fraternity, who allowed grown men to play soldiers for a weekend whilst they watched carefully over their respective broods.
EQUALLY MASSIVE THANKS to the committee who allowed us use of the venue, without all these things coming together, the weekend would never have been possible, and another thanks for Nick- Bl0ke it was great to get together again and just do our shit. Brought back fab memories of yesteryear and brought hope of good times (and beer) to come. Top job on getting the venue authorised.

Remember, Dom and Nick also have their own blog thingys running. Check em out for pics and their take on the weekend (hopefully it aint so negative as mine was on the apocalypse front)

T-minus 2 days and counting

Well, no pics of armies and no pics of new models ( I hear you cry and weep for me, I really do).
I am just stoked about this weekend and what's going to happen!!!

Apparently, here is our plan of attack:
Day1: Arrive, unpack, beer, pizza, gaming, more beer, nibbles, gaming gaming gaming, beer, sleep (maybe)

Day2; Wake up, brekkie whilst gaming, gaming, more gamers arrive for more gaming, food food, pick up the chief and familiars and drop them to base hq, more gaming, beer, pizza, nibble gaming gaming gaming!

Day3; wake up, maybe gaming after brekkie, muse over weekends gaming, coffee, tea, biccies, coffee, gaming, pack up the stuff, miss all the gaming, head home, unpack, sleep.

After that, its update the blog about the gaming, plot the next stages of the new project and venture forth! (followed by work)

Can't wait to make notes on the armies, the decisive moments and I plan to have "man of the match" and "wooden spoon" awards for all!

I haven't gamed this much since the famed 24 hour sponsored events at my old school (which are now banned by stoopid law) when we played a 10000point warhammer game over 2 ping pong tables which lasted for 14 hours!!! (the old rules were savage back then, and who knew that to cast magic you needed to pass "cl, wp and int" tests whilst rolling d4's d8's d12's and d20's? They didn't even have templates!) I can't even remember who won, but I know we were drained and warhammer was never the same after that.

It's gonna be frikkin' awesome!!!

BRING IT (and the beer...)

Modelling news- The New Project begins...

Well, I have been pondering the next project for some time now, especially since finishing off everything else I had that was paintable. I've been trawling through all the books and mags and websites and whatever I had to hand to give me inspiration.
Whilst having a poke about in my bits box I came across an old model, and it hit me like a bolt of lightning- a diamond bullet to the forehead as it were!

Thus was born my next project- ULTRAMARINES 3rd Company!
Of course- I don't have the codex yet, but I have played marine armies in the past, so I have at least an idea of what makes up a space marine force.
The model I found was a chaplain- a biker chaplain in fact- that I had reposed and converted into some sad ghost of its former self (a fail). This is the story of how Chaplain Paraxus of the 3rd company came into being...


Stage 1 - BITS!
This pic shows the bits I collected together. Notice the Khorne Beserker helmet, the space wolf storm bolter and the space wolf back pack banner. I also tracked down a spare shoulder pad, melta bomb and personal banner. The model itself was in for a dramatic series of changes, including a head swap, weapon swap and even the storm bolter was in for some alteration!


Stage 2- Extra bits ready for sticking on!
Here we see the additional parts are prepped and ready for application. The Beserker helmet has been cut down to just a skull helmet, the backpack now has a personal banner, and I even salvaged a purity seal for the model's old power axe (which has been removed).


Stage 3- OFF WITH HIS HEAD!
The model had his head cut clean off with clippers and the the space left was filed flat. The arm socket and left hand were also filed flat to prepare for the component parts to be glued on. This guy was gonna look cool. I had the image now planed firmly in my head. This was the point of no return now, the model was effectively ruined if the parts didn't match the feel of the miniature of if they would not fit. I crossed my fingers and strode on... FOR ULTRAMAR!


STAGE 4- Gluing together.

This is the finished article, minus obligatory awesome paint job! lol. He is now obiously a space marine chaplain with a storm bolter and crozius arcanum. He is also carrying melta bombs and has a banner pole too. A bit of a chop job all in all, but the skull helmet idea worked in construction ans the converted weapons etc really do give him the feel of a hard S.O.B.
He was then left overnight for the glue to fully set ( patients is NOT a strong point of mine).

Stage 5- Colour selection.

Here he is again, stood on the mixing tile with my brushes, transfers, water pot and paints behind him. It always pays to have a good look at the model before you start with painting and select the colours you need according to the shades and textures you want to create. Chaplains wear black, the Ultramarines colour is blue, and the third company are denoted by red banding on the shoulder pads. I also had to consider the banner pole and what I would do about that. New territory for me there, as I usually leave it if I don't have a sticker to hand.

Stage 6- Undercoating.

Black undercoats seem to work for everything (except yellow for some reason- go figure!), and as this model will be wearing black power armour, its the perfect choice. A good even coat is important, as we all know to achieving that all important shading later on. Black is also great as an undercoat for metallic colours (The silver ghosts proved that). According to my source texts (old codexes) Ultramarines achieve best results over a black undercoat too. I'll remember that when the squads star rolling in!

Stage 7- Base coating.
All the base coat colours have been applied here, including bestial brown for the base. I also threw on a bit of tank track to the base to cover the slot and add character to the model. The base coat of black was pretty much already on, so the power armour got a very fine drybrush of Elf Grey.

Stage 8- Shading and detail work.
Here the model is highlighted and fine details are picked out, such as the eyes and the text on the purity seals. The eagle motif and skull helmet have been drybrushed progressively light up to white. The Blue shoulder guard with red trim is ready now for the final stages of modelling-transfers.

I also started work on the banner for his banner pole.

A side on shot, showing how little a space there is to work on on the shoulder guard, with the back pack taking up precious moving space for the transfers.

Stage 9- Finishing touches
Here he is the finished article! The base is flocked with brown gravel, green flock and tea leaves (super cheap ones!!) all mixed together to give the effect you see there. The banner I kept simple as possible, but the blue with red bordering of the third company symbolism remains. The Ultra symbol in red with a skull in denotes a chaplain, with the romnan numeral 3 to indicate the company he serves in. I never like the way that the Ultramarines transfers stick on the shoulder guards- its a proper pain in the arse. I am figuring out a way around this now by trimming the transfer down to give it more flexibility when being applied. I love the way the eyes seem to sparkle too, it brings the model to life in an eerie way, that I like alot.

There's the shoulder guard with the transfers applied. The "3" on the Ultra symbol really looks kinda cool- I was well happy with that. The skulls on the storm bolter also stick out a little, accentuating the firepower the Chaplain carries.

This last "fuzzy shot" shows the Army marking. The skull in the yellow cricle is, as far as I can remember, a typical army badge used by space marines on campaign. By using this army badge, I can include elements of the first and tenth companies in the force and tie them all in together with the campaign badge.

THE NEXT STEP

Well, I have an HQ choice now, so I guess I need to think about his subordinates. Chances are that the battle force boxed set will do for starters, along with the codex.

I really want to make this army look special, so will take ages on the troops and vehicles. I'll try out some new techniques and convert and personalise as much as possible.

The third company are known as "the scourge of the xenos" afer their honours won in the first Tyrannic war.

That opens possibilities for Tyrannic Veterans, as well as trophies of genestealers and other xenos races for the characters and vehicles.

Watch this space! More is sure to follow as the army grows.

Also coming up...

Battle will be joined in the next few days, so expect battle reports and tales of glory and heroism galore!

40K Showcase- BLack Legion Marines

Why do I love the bad guys?- This guy is why! A classic and awesome miniature who was a challenge to paint (hopefully) well and a great leader model for the army. Background tells of rumours that he may be the clone son of Horus himself. The Prodigal son that brings destruction and vengeance, Abaddon is everything it says "on the tin" and more besides.

In game terms he is a very powerful model with awesom wargear and deadly in close assaults.

He is the ultimate bad guy, the geezer you love to hate- fearfully powerful and evil incarnate.

In games where I am allowed to pick him, he is first choice for HQ and would definately be my general in an apocalypse game.


This fella is my Chaos Space Marine Sorceror. He comes with a familiar and bears the mark of Tzeentch, allowing him 3 (yes 3) psychic powers and he also has a good invulnerable save too. In games where his master Abaddon is used, I use him as Zaraphiston who is Abaddon's chief sorceror and one of his few trusted servants.

This fella used to be a space wolf standard bearer. Well, he aint now! One of the few conversions in the army, I can use him as either an aspiring champion for my chosen squad or as a "bargain basement" chaos lord. His icon is taken from a warhammer skaven model- think it was warlord SKWEEK or something like that. It serves as both his trophy rack and also as his Icon to Khorne. The power axe I can also use as a daemon weapon if need be, but that only applies if he is a lord!

Several models in the army make extensive use of space wolf parts. I did this because the Black Legion were once the sons of Horus, and before that the LUNA WOLVES. I figured it may stand to reason that though they changed to the black legion at Abaddon's command, they still retained their heritage of being Luna Wolves. It has added some grat character to the army and has really set them apart from other black legion marines. Look out fo the models in the pics!

CHOSEN- these guys are my infiltrators and pack a range of different weapons. The model in front is quite heavily converted from a space marine captain. He has had a head swap and even the plastic bolter has been converted into a combi weapon. The power fist I can shoose to include or leave out. In the case of this squad- it's left out. The squad's main purpoes is to being the vanguard of any attack, popping up and either giving supporting fire to the rest of the troops, or getting stuck in as soon as possible and carving a bloody swathe into the enemy. The Icon of Khorne is a great help with that!

Chaos Terminators- Deep striking death on a stick! The Khorne Icon adds to their killing ability in battle, along with the 2 combi weapons, the reaper autocannon and the range of power fists and chainfists. They are scary troops, especially seeing as how I can even make them ALL chamions of the dread powers! The only drawback with them is that they tower over Abaddon, which kinda ruins the effect of putting him on the battlefield...

Dreadnought. This one is made from a plastic space marine kit, with spiky bits and chains added, along with the head from a warhammer hydra model. The base also has had a rhino door added. I really like this model, and it does make for a hell of a centre piece model in the army. However, it's not the feature model!

This one packs a dread close combat weapon along with either twin linked lascannon or twin linked autocannon- it all depends on what I want it to make slush out of...

Just need to be careful- chaos dreadnoughts are insane killing machines and a little unpredictable!

Marines- the back bone of the army. These guys feature and autocannon and plasma gun, and the aspiring champion carries a power weapon and a combi bolter. He also carries the icon of chaos glory, which helps to bolster the squad's morale and summons daemons from the warp.

This is my massive 19 strong (yes 19) black legion squad, with a khorne icon and also carrying a heavy bolter, plasma gun and a champion packing a power weapon and plasma pistol. Their purpose is simple- anti infantry. The idea is to cover gorund as quickly as possible under support fire and then hit the enemy infantry- HARD. With support from other squads such as the dreadnought and terminators they offer a truly terrifying prospect for any general. I particularly fancy their chances against Imperial Guard infantry platoons!

Another Marines squad- this time with anti armour options in the form of lascannon, plasma gun and a champion with a power fist. ( hopefully you managed to spot the space wolf bits in the last few pics). Ideal in a supporting role, they also have the capacity to act as an assualting unit.

BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE THRONE OF KHORNE!

These are my 12 black legion khorne beserkers, with mutations and crazed looking warriors. The squad has a total of 3 plasma pistols, including the champion with his power fist and horns! A fearless unit and terribly good in a scrap, they are my main assault troops from the army. A certain someone's wolf scouts felt the fury of only 5 a few months back! The full squad is truly a wonder to behold in combat!

These are some of the oldest models I have in my entire collection, and I consider them to be the "archetype of daemons" The bloodletter exists only to kill and take skulls for its patron god, and these 8 could really help to make the difference in battle.

The dedicated transport option comes in the form of this rhino- kitted out with armour upgrades and a dozer blad it can go most places without hassle. The Havoc launcher provides extra firepower for the infantry. Not the shootiest of kit, but useful for getting the marines to where they're needed quickly.

The only fast attack option I have is this biker squad. Fast, nasty and hard hitting.

The champion is the feature model (coz he looks so cool) and the squad itself carries a melta gun and has a khorne icon for extra nastiness!

FEATURE MODEL- BIKER CHAMPION

I think it looks really cool. I wanted to make the biker look dynamic and the champion needed to be special, as I didn't have much in the army when I got it. I put the bike on its back wheel and put it on a bigger base for support, giving the impression of the rider popping a wheelie.

The torso comes from a white metal model and he carries a massive power axe. The idea is he is using the weight of the bike coming down coupled with his powerful downstroke to dliver a swift killing blow to his enemies. The base also has some wreckage modelled onto it to give more character to the individual.

The colour scheme stays with that of the army and the model itself looks truly menacing and - well- mental!

Onto heavy support choices now, and this is a great cheap option for the points- an obliterator. Heavily armed and armoured with deep striking options and an impressive model, this one guy can bring down tanks and bunkers all on his todd. He also comes with the slow and purposeful rule, which allows him to lay down a withering hail of fire with heavy weapons whilst on the move. NICE!

Chaos Predator- the first of the army's main tanks. An old school model with added combi bolter armour and dozer blade, this tanks provides the anti tank and anti infantry firepower the army may need to break the lines of the unfortunate foes. There's an old style space marine model worked into the turret firing the combi bolter, and the sponson lascannon really add that degree of punch that enemy armour fears!

Finally the land raider. This tanks couples together awesome and terrible firepower with being and assault vehicle capable of troop carrying right up to the front line and down the enemy's throat. Loaded up with 5 terminators or 10 marines this bad boy of the battlefield can really kick ass! The most heavily armoured hunk of metal in any army! I modelled on a rune from a necromunda psyker model and the golden skulls are the dirge casters (great for tank shock). The marine on the top gives covering fire with the combi bolter too.

OVERVIEW

Ths army is enormous! And I like to couple it with elements form the Death Guard forces to create a truly massive apocalypse force. I even considered adding troops from the traitor guard army.

The force packs a little piece of everything- fast paced attack troops, support troops, assault troops and deep striking armoured warriors, all led by the ultimate bad guy!

I have enjoyed playing many furious battles with my Black legion over the years, and they are by far the army I feel most comfortable playing with.

Final Musings...

This concludes all the army showcases I have for 40K at present. I hope you found them interesting and maybe a little inspiring for your own collections.

I am considering my options now for the next army. It will be something special, I promise, bristling with weird and wonderful models and weapons.

I need to consult with my advisors first though, as I have several ideas in the pipeline.

Watch this blog for more news!

40K SHOWCASE- DEATH GAURD

Death guard- what better way to start the showcase than with the daemons of nurgle in the force?
The death guard are dedicated to the god of decay, Nurgle, and the army has a feel of rot and decay about it, using drab colours and rusty weapons. I made a lot of conversions in the army, from minor weapon swaps to complete tank conversions. They're all here for you to see now. Hope you like it!
The great Unclean one is a great model and it serves as a nasty surprise in battle, popping out of a champion and munching up troops and vehicles. The plague bearers make for a useful assault option from the warp, summoned through an icon.
The really great thing about these two options is that they don't use up any force organisation slots, which means I could add more and more units of plague bearers and Great unclean ones to the army if I wanted....

Death Guard Terminators- Awesome Elites choice with deep strike capabilities and packing nasty weaponry to cause problems everywhere. You can see the champion is tolled up with a pair of lightning claws and he also carries the Nurgle Icon for the squad. Models with the mark of nuirgle are bloated with disease and can soak up damage better than ordinary marines. Couple that up with the terminator armour saves and you have a very resilient squad that is tough to shift and scary opn the offensive. The two terminators in the background have had their power weapons converted so that they appear to be carrying rusted power swords. The champion's icon of nurgle is actually from the chaos vehicle sprue, and he is the only model in the squad with a trophy rack. The others had putty put in to fill out where the trophy racks would go. I figured they would just look better without them and fit in better with the character of the army.

Plague marines with a rhino. Again tough, fearless and carrying blight grenades, plague marines can take the hits and keep on coming. The sqaud also has an icon for summoning and two assault weapons in the form of a flamer and a plasma gun. The standard choice of troops for the discerning death guard player!

A Close up of the champion shows that I used a mutated head for him and gave him a power fist and plasma pistol. I was really happy with how he turned out, though he isn't strictly a conversion, he again gives the impression of a diseased warrior, chosen of Nurgle. He can punch his way through bunkers and vehicles, and also provides character to the squad itself. SOLID!

This is the Squad's Rhino transport, complete with extra armour, dozer blade and havoc launcher. Hopefully this bad ass machine can ship the squad across the battle field quickly and provide them with a little fire support as well. I slipped the squad icon into the background, just to show off the mark of nurgle, the putty banner painted to resemble diseased pock marked flesh and the Khorne beserker trophy head on top.

A squad of plague marines with their rhino. These guys are made up from the original plague marine models that cam out. No conversions here, except for the rhino (also old style). This squad was used as the basis for all the other squads in the army, so they are in a way it's heart and soul. They pack some real aggressive punch with both the melta gun and plasma gun in the squad. The champion carries a power weapon to give him an edge against infantry opponents and the option of melta bombs would be handy against armoured targets.

Every Plague marine should travel in style! LOL. This old style rhino has had wooden panels added from the warhammer snotling pump wagon model, and nurglings have been stuck on along with other chaos spiky bits and even diseased lichen onto the armour! This rhino isn't driven by a crew, but by a daemon (daemonic possession) and also has extra armour and a dozer blade.

Does this guy look familiar? He is a plague marine champion, true, but was made from KHARN the betrayer. Major clipping to his head and weapon swaps with some minor reposing to produce this awesome looking final product. In the old rules he was hard as nails, and still is, just without all the daemonic gifts that I used to love chucking in. Power weapon and bolter as his armaments with the all important melta bombs option, he kind of fits in with the idea of a "standard armament" for plague chamions in the army. His squad is the biggest in the army, and doesn't have a transport.

15 Plague marines walk into a bar...

All made from the basic plastic plague marine models, these guys have had weapon swaps, the spikes taken off their helmets, all sorts really. With a squad this size, the points rocket up for them. They are great for steady advances and holding objectives. Fearless and the mark of nurgle really gives them staying power and frustrates opponents who wonder why their weapons aren't as good as they hoped (when you need a 5 to wound with a bolter, you tend to get concerned- think of the poor guard player whose lasguns need 6's).

Predator! No honest it is! This model was made from an old damaged toy tank I had.Obviously I added the obligatory chaos spiky bits, but I also slapped on sponsons, grave stones and even a daemonic head. The body work I covered with putty and added pock marks using a tooth pick (that took ages). I wanted to give the impression that the vehicle was alive and that it had grown its own diseased flesh. I even added tentacles and arms and stuff.

This second shot shows off the armaments a bit better. The turret weapon is currently used as an autocannon, and the sponson weapons are used as either heavy bolters or lascannon. The top of the turret also packs a combi bolter for extra shootyness. In the last revision of 40K I was able to use this tank as a special vehicle with custom weapons and nasty upgrades. Expensive, but a great centre piece model.

SHOWCASE FEATURE MODEL- TYPHUS HERALD OF NURGLE

Great model to finish up with. One of my fave conversions ever and a pleasure to take the time on. A dynamic posed model in terminator armour carrying deadly weaponry and nasty special rules. Typhus is my general and he carries a daemon weapon and uses psychic powers, as well as being the carrier of the destoyer hive. He is the epitomy of disease and contagion and he is tough too!

The model was made from the space wolf LOGAN GRIMNAR model and I spent ages removing wolf iconography and adding putty to make him appear bloated and diseased. I also added the scythe in place of GRIMNAR's power weapon to create the manreaper daemon weapon. Head swap was also in order, something with a spike on top.

I tried my best to create the model in the image of the illustration in the codex for chaos space marines. Just after I finished the model, Games Workshop released the miniature of him. Dang nammit!

Still, he's MY Typhus model, and he really does add to the character of the army as well as providing that all important leadership and aggressive punch.

That's it for this showcase folks! Hope you enjoyed mone of my pride and joy armies. Next up is my last current army and my biggest force- The Chaos Space Marines of the Black legion, and their fearsome leader ABADDON THE DESPOILER!!!!!

40K Showcase- Silver Ghosts Space Marines

NOT the feature Model!!
This is my captain. I went for a crimson tabard, and this is the first model in the ary that I painted. He inspired the colour scheme for the whole force.
I have mused that this is what i would look like in power armour (bald). LMAO
Packing some nifty gear and nasty weapons, he is a force to be reckoned with on his own, but with his command squad...

Speaking of which- HERE THEY ARE!! A classic model at the centre there, from the days of yore when the Horus Heresy was just being dreamt up by the Lords of Games Workshop. This squad also features a flamer, a veteran sergeant with a powerfist, and a chamion carrying a power sword and shield. The theme of bright red power weapons really grabs your eye, don't it? I will apoligise for not including banners witht he models, but I am crap at them and they dont do transfers or stickers for tailor made projects. Maybe one day...

Tactical squad. These marines were lovingly dubbed "wombles" when they came out, coz of the pointy noses, lol. This squad features what I call the "classic tactical options" - flamer marine, missile launcher operator and veteran sergeant with power sword and plasma pistol. This squad is pretty much ready for anything and would be difficult to shift if they dug in. ( see that guy in the robe in the back ground? More on him in a bit)


ANOTHER tactical squad. Same configuration, but this sergeant packs a power fist and bolter. This squad would be a good option for assaulting some armour with that sergeant, or maybe a bunker, given the flamer. Even better, splitting the squad into 2 sections of five marines would allow for dual roles of support and assault. Sweet!

A lot going on here! Its the scouts I wanted to show off though. Note the crimson uniform, in theme witht he captain's tabard. I also went a bit "american footie" with the scouts' faces, putting black lines under their eyes to reduce glare from bright lights of flares and air burst shells. This squad uses only bolters and bolt pistols with close combat weapons. Typical uses include holding objectives and launching assaults on light infantry to slow enemy advances. They don't have armours as thick as their brother marines, so using cover to advance is probably sensible.

More scouts, but with a very different role on the battlefield. These guys pack sniper rifles and a heavy bolter, so gues what their role is? With a decent BS and specialist weaponry, these scouts can pretty much hammer away at enemy infantry squads from a distance and cause your opponent considerable discomfort. I was really chuffed with the kneeling scouts' camo cloaks which seemed to hit the right shade of green almost straight off the bat!

Terminators Squad, led by a sergeant converted from a chaplain model (I wasn't thinking straight at the time- I mean a chaplain in terminator armour? D'OH!!) Pretty standard armaments too, but still a force to be reckoned with, due to their tough armour and deep strike abilities in battle. I did wonder if the silver and gold was too much, but it seems to work well and I reckon it complements the theme of the army.


Devastators. These guys provide my heavy support choice, and pack plenty of serious firepower, whilst trying to stay versatile. They carry the lascannon, multimelta and 2 missile launchers. Their main targets are naturally armoured ones, but the frag missiles should not be underestimated...

Scout bikers. they utilise the scouts forward force abilities with speed and provide any assault with much needed supprt and punch. I can use them to rapidly redeploy to where the fighting isn't favorable for me, or to launch that devastating surprise assault on the weakened spot in the enemy line. Very Revvy!

Typhoon! No the weather aint turning nasty, its the configuration of this land speeder. The typhoon launchers really do help to provide an explosive punch, and the multi melta is my nasty surprise for tanks that venture too close or bunkers that think they have nothing to fear from my speeder. Heheheheh!

Assault marines. The main focus of any attack I may launch, and the vanguard of a devastating counter attack. The squad features 2 plasma pistols, just for fun, and with its capability to deep strike and carry melta bombs the guys can really deliver the killing blow in good time and get home for a pint. I do like the guy on the far right, sprinting at the enemy.

More tactical marines, but these guys are only nine in number and don't carry special or heavy weapons. Still, useful for attacking or defending against infantry and they could still hold an objective.


FEATURE MODEL: COMPANY STANDARD BEARER
This guys was made from the dark angels standard bearer model and I spent ages carefully filing down and removing the iconography on his robes. Then I added a midified Warhammer Orc banner, giving the impression of a battle worn banner.
Again I used the crimson robes and silver armour, with gold trim to denote him as a veteran marine.

Shot of the banner. I was trying to reflect in the banner something about the chapter, as well as keeping it very simple. To this end, I stuck to the skull on silver wings set on a black background with the roman numeral 4. The idea is that the black represents the evil that besets the imperium from all around, with the chapter symbol representing the stoic marines standing against the night to keep safe the imperium of man. Each of the silver stars on the banner represents a great hero of the chapter, who sacrificed himself in battle against terrible odds to win the day and bring honour to his chapter.
Sounds cool, don't it? LMAO

This is him from the front. The crimson robes really to complement the shining silver power armour and gold helmet and trim. The model really does have that- "BRING IT" sort of feel to it. The kinda bleak background also helps to accentuate the silver, making him seem all the more prominent and potent.

Side view showing his weapon arm and back pack. The simple chainsword, reassuring and deadly in the proper hands- HIS!!! Again, a truly impressive model, painstakingly converted and agonised over by yours truly!!!

ARMY OVERVIEW
This force is not really well suited to open warfare against opponents with rolling armour. They have no armour of their own. That said, the character of the army was originally intended for city fighting in dense terrain, where vehicles would carry little sway. That said, they could probably hold their own against most enemies, as the squads do carry some kit to punch holes on bunkers and armour- not to menbtion them being space marines which means they are quite tough anyway.

I have only fielded them a couple of times, with limited success. To be fair, Chaos is my first choice, and I am always drawn back to the dread powers... is it really by choice? lmao.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed looking at the "wombles", and also the terrain. The items I used were again modular boards, but I shook things up a little by using the tower and the impassable hill. My Modules also include a stone circle and a temple, but they are works in progress at present... could it be another showcase later? You'll have to wait and see!!!

I hope to showcase the chaos models in the next week or so before my massive weekend of beer and carnage with Bl0ke, after which I hope to have some sort of battle report type stuff to bung on here. If not, then check out rane projects and Domonet -the gentleman's blogs of choice!!!