‘ard Boyz Round 1 list and Battle Reports

‘ard Boyz Army Comp
Here is what I played for the first round of the ‘ard Boyz Tourney.

Ghazghull Thraka 225 pts
1 Big Mek SAG, Power Klaw, ‘eavy armor, bosspole, Cybork Body, Ammo Runt 143 pts
8 Nobz ‘eavy armor, stikbombz, Bosspole, Painboy, grot orderly, Waaagh! Banner, 2x Power
Klaw, Truk w/ Armour Plates, Grot riggers, Boarding Plank, Reinforced Ram, Wrecking Ball, 383 pts
12 Kommandos w/ 2x Burnaz and Boss Snikrot 235 pts
15 Burnaz 225 pts
15 Lootas 225 pts
12 Ork Trukk Slugga Boyz w/ Rokkit, Stikbombz, Nob w/ Power Klaw, ‘eavy armor, bosspole, Truk w/ Armour Plates, Grot riggers, Boarding Plank, Reinforced Ram, Wrecking Ball, Red Paint Job 214 pts
30 ‘ard Slugga Boyz w/ 3x Rokkitz, Nob w/ Power Klaw, bosspole 370
30 Shoota Boyz w/ 3x Shootaz, Nob w/ Power Klaw, ‘eavy armor, bosspole 240 pts
30 Shoota Boyz w/ 3x Shootaz, Nob w/ Power Klaw, ‘eavy armor, bosspole 240 pts

Brief Synopsis of Game play

Game 1 vs. Black Templars: Massacre +1 battle point
This game was fun and I enjoyed my opponent. This was as close to a “flawless victory” that I got. I garnered 21 points from this round. The main lesson that was reinforced for me was stick to your plan. Since this mission was “Seize Ground”, I decided to focus on securing each of the five objectives and keeping them clear of the enemy presence. I also knew that since I was playing a horde army I would have to play each round as if it were my last.

My opponent was foolhardy enough to run his entire army at me, and I took advantage of this by moving my forces forward. Once my forces were where I wanted them, I shot at him and caused all of his forward troops to move towards my lines. This allowed me to assault him on turn 1.

My ‘ard Boyz managed to turn out casualties against his chaplain and command squad and ended up locked in combat because of the Templar’s fearless in hand to hand rule. Ghazghull, the Nobz, and the truk boyz hit two squads of sword brethren and when the dust cleared a lone Templar stood, which I was able to consolidate into with both units because he poorly choose who lived. He was trying to pull casualties so as to disengage Ghazghull, but 1 model from old Thraka’s unit was able to consolidate into base to base thus dragging the whole unit along.

Turn 2 was where my opponent attempted a weak retaliation and brought in 2 of his three deep striking units. Luckily for me all of his shooting was being made by Star Wars Storm Troopers and I was left fairly unscathed. As we launched into the assault phase it was announced that we had 30 minutes left.

This time the tables turned for my ‘ard Boyz as they were charged by the Emperor’s Champion and friends. The fight was bloody and the ‘ard Boyz lost and were run down. The lone Templar was cut down but he at least took two Orks with him, after which the Truk Boyz ducked behind the hill out of sight, but within 3” of the objective. Ghazghull consolidated towards an objective near the Templar lines.

On my part of turn two Ghazghull and his squad moved to capture an objective. Both of my Shoota mobs moved in and captured 2 more objectives, while the Burna boyz moved up to clear my opponent off the fifth objective. Once the boyz had moved into position they opened up to gun down nearby targets. Between the Lootas, SAG, and two units of Shoota Boyz I managed to thin the EC and his unit down to just the EC and a mook. As I began my assault moves time was called. Oh well maybe next time I will be able to secure all of the objectives instead of all but 1. I was a little annoyed that Snikrot and his Kommandoes didn’t make it out of reserve.

Game 2 vs. Imperial Guard: Tie no extra battle points 597 VP Orks to 587 VP IG

Game 2 got started after lunch. Interesting note during our 1 hour lunch the kids playing in the tournament decided to have an impromptu who brought the best character throw down. It was fun to watch, and in my opinion really in the spirit of the tourney and the game.

Game 2 began with the IG player going first. My opponent was a teenager who was a very excellent opponent. Thankfully the dawn of war rules saved my keester in this turn, but he did get off a lucky shot which threw Ghazghull and his gang out of their truck. However he forgot to bring in his forces, which I also did for a few of my units on my first turn.

When my turn 1 came I brought my Burnaz on but forgot about the Lootaz. GRRR!!! I then moved just about everything toward his lines. I did get a bit luckier than my opponent and managed enough shots to cause two squads to take morale checks, which one squad failed. Not bad for an opening salvo.

When turn 2 hit, the Hellhound, 2 Russes, and storm troopers rolled on along with a flamer special weapons squad being deployed behind my firing line. It was impressive, and it managed to kill the SAG, take out half a Shoota Boyz squad and immobilize the last remaining Trukk.

Then the hurtin’ time came for the poor IG. Once againg Snikrot thought that Ghazghull had the battle handled, and sat on the bench. The Lootas came on and got into a position to assault the Flame throwers that were in my lines. All but one unit moved up in preparation of an assault. Ghazghull declared a Waaagh! and the IG were immediately knee deep in Orks. The Orks had assaulted six units, and only managed to get 2 kill points. I knew that the KP rules were going to anger me greatly. Needless to say, he was now down six squads.

His turn 3 came and well the other Hellhound rolled on, but not his last Russ (whew.) I was able to withstand the fusillade of fire that came towards my orks, but as it became my turn game was called. Curses! Snikrot benched by my dice again!

Game 3 vs. Orks: Minor Loss
This like the last game was an evenly matched brawl against a great opponent. There was so much occurring I could not relate it all. The balance swung on the second half of the second turn where I dusted his fire base off of his objective with Snikrot and contested it, but he captured mine with his Nobz Squad. The pivotal battle was where Ghazghull and his unit rolled snake eyes on the difficult terrain check and they were more than an inch away. Curses! That stopped me cold from earning 5 KPs.

Wrap Up
I tied for fourth, but won on VP so fourth place was mine. The nice thing is that the second place player will be unable to attend the next round, so I will be going to regionals.

The biggest thing that I learned was that speed is an Ork’s friend. I also had “remember the mission rules” lesson pounded into my skull. Hopefully it will stick. I may also see if I can round up a rules runt to help me look up pertinent questions in the book and to deflect all questions away from me that slow down my game play. Hope you enjoyed my ‘ard Boyz wrap up.

Cross Posted at

Tactical Rock
Austin Miniature Minions

Just got Black Reach!

So, I just got Black Reach at the midnight event for our local game store (which actually wasn't an event but that's neither here nor there).

So the big question is: who wants to trade their Marines for my Orks? :)


Besides that, in a few days, I'll be ready to begin writing about our new terrain project. :) I think it's gonna be awesome...

Oh, you Beast!

Having played my first 5th-ed game I came across one really surprising and irritating rule:

Moving within ruins (page 83): "Only certain troops are capable of clambering to the upper levels of ruins. Accordingly, only infantry, jump infantry, jetbikes, monstrous creatures and walkers may move on the upper levels of a ruin - and only if the model can physically be placed there. Other units may only move on the ground level of the ruin."

I play 'Nids. My favorite units are the Raveners and Homogaunts both of which are beasts as described in the 'Nid codex.

Well, my first game was against Democratus and his Chaos. He had placed all his beginning troops on the second floor of a ruin. It gave the humorous look of "woman on a chair afraid of mice".

Aside from that, I am a little peeved at this rule. I understand not wanting bikes on the upper floor of a ruin, but have GW not heard of "dismounting"? I mean, if the ruin is strong enough to hold a walker can 14 homogaunts be any heavier?

So far other than this little peeve, I like 5th-ed rules so far. Being the casual player the game does go faster and I like that I had a draw even with one of the better players of our group.

Now if Witch Hunters and 'Nids can get an updated Codex all will be well...

AA Represents at Orkpocalypse!

So Battleforge, one of our favorite local game stores, held an Apocalypse event on Thursday night. 3K points per player, 13 players (IIRC), one big table with my Marines on one side and Psyberwolfe's Orks on the other.


So we all lined up on the field, the Holy Imperium of Man versus those most foul and foreign Greenskins!


I managed to put together a Battle Company...

...while Psyberwolfe brought a Green Tide (among other things).

There was planning both strategic and tactical, fighting both ranged and hand to hand...

In the end, the Imperium won, not only because we were hard and stalwart, but also because Dante failed a morale check and had to fall back...

...keeping the Tide from getting close enough to claim an objective!

Nice Waaaagh!, Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. Too bad you @$$ got sacked!!!

And, for the record, it was an excellent game and some very cool players on both sides. I completely look forward to the next one! Game on!

The Magic of the Multi-Melta

A commonly fielded unit in my marine army is a multi-melta Devastator unit. I have considered them a fairly effective unit and they have usually performed admirably. They have usually acted in the deterrent role because of their ability punch through armor, so my opponents would typically give them wide berth or present lower armor targets.
This new edition has vindicated my faith in the multi-melta, but it has made this unit a bit of a fire magnet. In my first 5th edition game Bulwark, of Bell of Lost Souls fame, made a b-line towards this unit and allowed my Devastators a single turn of firing. By turn two he had managed to tie them up in close combat and dispatched them in subsequent rounds.
The lesson learned from this game is that Devastator multi-meltas are a liability because they tend to draw unnecessary attention and in one turn a large portion of anti tank firepower can be removed. This event caused me to wonder what role, if any, would the multi-melta play in future game of 5th edition. Then it occurred to me that my error was in fielding them as Devastators. I decided that more wasn’t better with these because one usually accomplished the job.
My new paradigm is multi-meltas are best in tactical squads, and since I play Dark Angels, they will come into their own with combat squads. They will excel in Combat Squads because they will be able to use the run rule behind the cover of my armored fighting vehicles (AFVs.) Once they have moved up they will have a decent command of the field and will be able to deliver effective anti tank firepower. The new run rule also increases their flexibility by allowing them a chance to take up a decent field position.
What excites me most about multi-meltas is their armor penetration of 1, and what that does in this new edition. Admittedly, they are a poor man’s lascannon, but there aren’t many AV 14 targets in the game. This is what will make these weapons feared and will cause many players to re-examine their tactics. I am fairly confident that here in the near future this weapon will become as common as the lascannon.

The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Gunfire…

So, you got the new 5th Edition Manual and you get out on the battlefield. You’re doing alright except for one thing: you have no suitable hills now. In 4th, things were a little more abstract. If you and your opponent agreed that a hill was a hill, it probably blocked line of sight. Now, with the true line of sight rules in 5th, you’ve got nothing to hide a squad behind, much less a tank. Well, never fear! A lot of people are going to be building real hills so I think it’s time for me to show you how!

For our hill building, you are going to need the following tools:

Hot wire foam cutter ($6-15 from a hobby store)
Batteries (the foam cutter will suck them up a bit)
A marker or highlighter

You will also need the following supplies:

Glue (Good old school white glue is fine)
¾” Pink insulation foam board ($9 for a 4’x 8’ sheet)

The foam board is where it all begins. I use ¾” pink foam board (which actually, isn’t foam. It’s fiberglass). Some people use blue foam because it’s thicker, but I think pink foam has more uses for crafting so it’s better in my opinion to have more pink foam that you will use than to have two separate types of foam for different things. Of course, if you’re more serious than I am, that may work for you. On the other hand, if you’re more serious than I am, you probably already have hills! If you use the pink foam, I recommend you prepare it before use. You’ll notice that there’s a clear thin plastic sheet on each side of the foam. Peel it off. You’ll smell a chemical scent from the newly exposed foam. That’s why you’ll want to put it into a well ventilated area for a while to dry out. As far as I know, it’s not dangerous but I don’t want to take that chance with any of our loyal readers. Once it’s dried out (and you don’t smell it [trust me, you’ll know what I mean]), we can begin.

Cut the foam into smaller sheets. Then glue several sheets together.


Scale is something to think about. Most everything states that 3” up is equivalent to going up a level/upstairs/whatever. That would mean four sheets would be one level up. However, I use 3 as a level. It’s a bit of an aesthetic thing. I think the slightly smaller hill looks better and the disparity doesn’t become obvious unless you have 4 or five levels up or down. And with true line of sight, the disparity actually has no actual meaning any longer. Go a little taller if you want, I’ll stay a little shorter. As Bob Ross might have said, it’s your hill and you can make it as tall or as small as you want it.

I use toothpicks to provide stability and keep the sheets from slipping. Put them in at multiple angles but not far enough to poke out the other sides and keep them more towards the center if you can. Use cutters of something to cut off any ends that might still be sticking out. You may also want to put some glue into the toothpick holes if you can. Once it’s glued, let if sit for a while and dry. An hour or two should suffice, but you know your conditions a little better than I do.


When you’re ready, you want to take your glued stacks outside or into a well ventilated area (trust me, you want to do this outside). Take your marker and draw a ring around the area you want to be the top of your hill. A rough representation will do, but you want to make sure that it is away from the edges.

Take the hot knife and start cutting around the ring. You’re probably not going to want to do this straight on. You want to do it more at an angle which is why you don’t want the ring you draw to be too close to the edges. That way the hills you make will slope. Of course, you’re not entirely bound to that. Cutting it straight creates cliffs and dropoffs. You might want to vary up the angle you’re cutting at to create more interesting looking hills, sloping from one direction but sheer cliff on another side. Another thing you’ll notice is that as you cut, it’ll sometimes seem to drag and cut a little raggedly. That’s fine. In fact, I think it’s preferred. That way, the sloping will look a little more like the rough sides of many hills. Remember, the cutting will release fumes, but this isn’t Styrofoam, it’s fiberglass. As a result, it won’t be anywhere near as bad but fumes will still occur. Also don’t think you have to cut this all in one continuously perfect piece. Cut off a piece and then cut off some more. If you don’t like the way something is looking, cut until you like it. Pull out a utility knife or an exacto and gouge it up further it you want. Only you know what you want it to look like. Once you’re done, you may want to take some fine sandpaper around the edges to knock off any look strands of fiberglass. I personally just rub my finger around the edge to clean it up. If you do this, remember that fiberglass can pierce your skin or get on you and be really uncomfortable (if you’ve ever cut fiberglass duct, you know what I mean) so be careful.


You should end up with something that looks kinda like this:


It’s a hill! Note you can easily put a squad on top of it.


Notice how it looks from a sergeant's eyeview...

Too bad he can't see the Land Raider supporting them. What Land Raider?

THAT Land Raider.

If you make it big enough in area, you can place smaller hills on top of it to make bigger hills and still have places to stand buildings or vehicles.


If you have something with a cliff side, you can not only represent hard climbs, but you can also combine with buildings to give a mountain village kind of look. This is the best argument for your building and hills to be at a uniform level.

But who wants a pink hill? That’s why you get your favorite color of craft paint for such things (I use golden brown Delta Ceramcoat) and paint the muther some color other than pink as you probably noticed I did with the second hill. You’ll probably want to use more than one coat because the bright pink will show through a thin coat. Or, if you want, you can spray paint it! It’s not foam! It’s fiberglass! The spray paint won’t melt the hill!

Flock or don’t flock. Base or don’t base. It’s up to you. All that matters is that you have a hill that has a chance of actually hiding units. Now make some more!

Tyrus Campaign Finished

After many months of manuver and battle, the Tyrus campaign has drawn to a close.

Here are the victory points earned by each force as of the end of the 11th week:

Chaos: 3200
Grey Knights: 3100
Necrons: 1400
Astramalleus: 900
Sisters of Battle: 800
Anger Sharks: 800

As can be seen, the top slot was hotly contested and only narrowly won.

Having captured the massive artifact at the center of the Tyus system, Typhus is going to attempt to create a new warp storm so he can claim a kingdom for his own.

It has been suggested that a final Apocalypse battle be fought to determine if this scheme can come to fruition. We await input from all the players to see if this will happen.

All in all, it was a noble experiment in map-based campaign play. For a first attempt at creating a dynamic system where all players had maximum choice I think it went rather well. Should we try again, there are several changes I think could be made.

Hopefully everyone had as much fun with this as I did. I really enjoyed not knowing who I would fight or where until battle was upon me. I also had much fun with the meta-gaming and scheming - as many will attest.

The big question now is....what is next for our intrepid League?

The Last Gasp of 4th ED: A Tyrus Campaign Battle Report

So, the group has been playing in a campaign for the last few months. It was decided that since we’ve been playing it in 4^th edition rules and the campaign is close to being finished, we would finish the campaign in 4^th Ed. As it is a map based campaign loosely based on some of the ideas in Mighty Empires, it involves flags of various sizes running around and sometimes bumping into other flags of various sizes.

Last night’s campaign battle was a 1000 pointer pitting my own army, the Ancient and Glorious Astramalleus (Space Marines) against Rachael Storm’s Anger Sharks (Blood Angels). Of course, real life conspired to keep this report from happening. My digital camera died so I couldn’t take pictures. :( But, then again, that’s why every cellphone in creation has one! I didn’t get as many pictures as I might have liked in the quality I might have liked, but if you can forgive that, you’ll see we had a rocking time!

The Astramalleus holds firm. They will not be moved! Or will they?

Warmaster Wen Dunnigan, Hero of Jhantor

(Force Commander with Terminator Honors, Artificer Armor, Power Weapon, Plasma Pistol, Iron Halo and Meltabombs)

Tactical Squad 1 – 10 Marines (Sergeant w/Power Fist & bolt pistol, Heavy Bolter, Meltagun)

Tactical Squad 2 – 10 Marines with Rhino (Sergeant w/Power Fist & bolt pistol, Heavy Bolter, Meltagun)

Devastator Squad – 10 Marines with Rhino(Missile Launcher x4)

Drednought (Assault Cannon & storm bolter, extra armor)

The Anger Sharks come. And they will not be stopped! Or will they?

Lemartes, Guardian of the Lost (Jump pack, Frag and Krak grenades, Death Mask, Bolt Pistol)

[he was kind enough to substitute another Chaplain figure for GWs horrid one]

Death Company – 9 Marines (Jump packs, Frag and Krak grenades, Furious Charge)

Assault Squad 1 – 9 Marines (Sergeant with Power Fist & bolt pistol, Plasma Pistols x2, Frag and Krak grenades)

Assault Squad 2 – 9 Marines (Sergeant with Power Fist & bolt pistol, Plasma Pistols x2, Frag and Krak grenades)

We glared at each other from across the field…

AST Turn 1

There was little movement. The Dred moved from behind cover to take up a flank position and a Rhino moves from behind a building. The Devastators fired at Lemartes and the Death Company, killing 3 in the process.

Shark Turn 1

Lemartes took the Death Company to try to outflank and take advantage of cover while the two assault squads moved forward out of the building.

AST Turn 2

While Dunnigan and TAC1 made a minor adjustment to the right, TAC2 rushed up to flank ASS2 and lit into them supported by the Devastators. ASS2 lost 5 men but made their LD check.

Shark Turn 2

ASS1 charges TAC1 causing 6 kills (forcing the loss of my power fist!) and losing 2 but TAC1 holds, ASS2 shoots TAC2, TAC2 fails LD and falls back 8 inches. Lemartes and Death Company close…

AST 3 Turn 3

Rhino moves forward to pen and fire on ASS2 while TAC2 advances and fires. ASS2 wiped out. Devastators kill 3 more D Company. Dunnigan and TAC1 close to fight and Dred joins battle. ASS2 loses 3 men but holds out, power fisting the Dred’s CCW away.

Shark Turn 3

Lemartes and 3 man D Company assault. They and ASS1 do two wounds to Dunnigan and that’s it. Dunnigan, TAC1 and Dred do two wounds to ASS1.

And the Anger Sharks called the battle. Glory to the Astramalleus!!! He had no scoring units. I had two and was about to assault him with a unit with a power fist. Good game, Anger Sharks!

So I hope you enjoyed the crappy maps and even crappier pictures. Next time I do this, it’ll be 5^th ED, I hope!!!

5th ED is out!!!!!

So, I'm sure that a lot of you out there already got it at the midnight events and such. I'm in Longview this weekend so I have to drive to Tyler this afternoon to get mine. I know some of us have already seen the rules and all that and there's much more commentary on all that on other sites. What I want to know from you all is what do you all think of the book itself? What do you like about it? What do you dislike? Is it worthy of a whole new edition? And, most importantly, what do you think is the best thing GW did this time around?

The floor is now open for discussion!

What the FLOCK?!?!?

So, sometimes gamers get bored. Or they're looking for a new challenge. Or they're just cheap. Whichever one of them you are, well this might be for you. So I got to thinking a few weeks ago "Maybe I'd like a bunch of flock to flock minis." My club mates can attest to how big a deal that is since I have 9K-ish points of Space Marines and not one of them is flocked. But I don't want to spend a lot of money on flock. So I decided to start making my own. And here's how I did it!

Tools:

containers (cheap and/or probably around the house)
stirrers (old brushes, pens, whatever)
cookie sheet ($1.50)
strainer ($1.50)
tea leaf ball ($1.50)

Ingredients:

sawdust: sawdust from a wood shop or mill would probably be best, especially from sanding or a lathe, but I grabbed a plastic bag full from Home Despot around the corner from my apartment. They pay to get rid of it so they really don't care.


paint: Actually, some thoughts on that... Don't use GW paint. There's not enough and it's expensive. :) You want to get a cheap acrylic or tempera or something. Kids paints are the goal. Lots of paint, really cheap. Each of those bottles you see there cost about $2 each. I use the acrylics on buildings and such but I got the tempera just for flock. Just make sure you get paints that are much brighter than what you want to flock to look like because the brown of the sawdust will make it much darker.


water: you have a sink, right?

And now, to the work!

Step 1: mix paint and water

Mix paint and water in a container. Simple enough. You don't want it to be translucent but as you experiment (assuming you'll make more than one color/batch of flock) you may want a little more or less paint. Be prepared to maybe mix paints if you want something specific. I also happen to have a cheap ass blender. You could use that too, but I think if you want to use an appliance, a mixer would be better than a blender, but that's not important right now.

Step 2: stir in sawdust

Put in sawdust a little bit at a time and stir. Keep adding more and keep stirring until it starts getting a little hard to stir. You don't want liquid and paint to be left over. If you see the color and it's off, you can add more paint, but you don't want to if you don't have to. If you do, make sure you mix it all in throughly.

Step 3: spread it out flat and let it dry

Spread the gloop out on a cookie sheet fairly thinly. It'll probably look something like this:

...and it will be wet and sticky so be careful what you touch. Once you've done that, you want to put it in a warm dry place and let it dry out. Lately, it's been a little rainy around here so I instead have opted to put it in the oven. If you do that, you don't want it very hot. The warm setting should do the job. You could even go as high as 200 degrees, but you don't want it to be too hot. This is wood, after all. Either way, oven or sitting out, let it dry out.

Step 4: Put the dry mixture in another container and get ready to strain

If it's all been done correctly, the gloop, as it dried, should have broken apart into its constituent particles. It should all come apart easily. If it dries as hard pieces, toss it aside and start again, though I've yet to have this happen.


Take your strainer and strain out the big bits. Keep them for rocks and big bits or toss them. Either way, you should end up with something like this:


This is a fairly coarse flock that, while not the quality of professional flock, looks pretty decently like grass. The tea leaf ball is better than the strainer so when you're left with just the coarse flock, use the tea ball to strain the coarse flock and you'll end up with this:


It feels really soft and fuzzy. There's a lot of this finer stuff in with the coarse flock, but I don't have the need or the patience to get it all out. You, however, can get all you want.

And that's it! Thus far, in three days, I've made two batches, one green and one yellow (which looks a little like dead grass), and have just pulled a third out of the oven for straining tomorrow.


And there's a lot of it! Of course, the "big cost" is the tools, but some of these you probably have around the house. I bought everything and I have made these three batches for less than the cost of two bags at a store. Now that I have everything, the only real cost is more paint and that big $2 bottle should make around 15 batches. That's a crap load of flock. In fact, when I'm done flocking my minis, I'm going to flock my hills and some of my other terrain, but that is a story for another article...

Memorial Day BBQ

Poney and I will be hosting a game/movie/bbq from Texas Rib Kings shindig Monday, 26 May, starting about 12:30, till folks wanna split. CXI and spouses definitely invited. RSVP so we can plan for enough!

First try at posting a pic

Oh well. I think I need someone to teach me how to take pictures of minis with a digital camera. Mine always come out very blurred.

Communicatum Militare

Transmitted: Hex
Received: Astropath Numalitor
Destination: Brother Captain Anastasius
Telepathic Duct: Terminus Ehud
Ref: Ordo Malleus/440982230/SV
Author: Justicar Telestes

Thought for the Day: "Emotion is the downfall of the Weak."

Brother Captain,

Daemonic incursion confirmed, destroyed, crystal mines Hex. Thirteen brothers of Titan employing Sus-An and Larraman enhancers for recovery before operations can continue. Seven brothers to garrison site post-rean.

Increased risk of Immaterium Breach also confirmed, sector designate Alpha. Request Brother Captain Athanasius attempt remedy from Environmental Control base, central hub Elysium.

Request immediate audit Psycannon ammunition stores. Tzeentchian filth appears using stolen shells, possibly further tainted, will investigate further.



Telestes, Justicar

Encounter on Hex

Corporal Vespasian was having a good day. He had only recently been given command of the squad after their decimation on Shroud. The officers had seen promise in him and he intended to prove them right. Looking up from the tactical command display he looked at the men. Squad Tertius was in high spirits. They had been sent on patrol across the basalt flats of Hex and were mustered a Rhino APC for the task. Any assignment where you can sit on your ass and watch the scenery go by is a prime one. The squad was only newly reformed and he wanted a chance to test their cohesion.

Forces from several Imperial armies were reported to be on the cursed moon, but not in large numbers. And if they should have a close encounter, Regius their company standard bearer, would have a nasty surprise. Even now he was speaking to the men about the mysteries of the Warp and how they were all the chosen heralds of the lords of Chaos. The crowded interior of the transport had the air of a shrine as all the men gathered around Regius intent on his sermon. As Regius inevitably spoke of the False Emperor their tempers rose to a fever pitch. All were eager to visit ruin on the inheritors of the Great Betrayal.

A warning light woke Vespasian from his reverie. He studied the readings for a moment and informed the squad, "We have enemy movement at 2 klicks. Prepare for action!" Studying the energy signatures further it was clear that these enemies were wearing Power Armor and that they outnumbered his squad by at least two to one. They seemed to be occupying a ruined building of some kind, most likely establishing defensive positions. A Rhino APC was not a stealthy machine - the enemy had to be aware of their presence by now.

"Bring us in behind that rock outcropping," Vespasian instructed the driver. They would take as much cover as possible on the approach. The enemy might have heavy weaponry capable of piercing the light armor of their transport. "To stations!" he barked. As one, the squad moved to positions. Regius, himself, and two other men moved to the rear; ready to exit the ramp at a moment's notice. Balzar took the squad's meltagun, joined by Krys with his bolter, and went to the fire point up top ready to open fire on any targets of opportunity.

As the Rhino cleared the last piece of cover, their enemy came into view. Their blue and white livery announced their identity as clearly as the Fleur de Lis banner they flew. "Sororitas," spat Regius. The zealots were the last force he wanted to face in battle. Space Marines were predictable in their adherence to their holy Codex. Even the Necrons could be counted on to follow their implacable phalanx tactics. But the sisters were creatures of passion and whimsy, much like the Emperor's Children. There was no predicting their tactics. And their Faith gave them strange abilities that could swing the tide of battle. He would have to be very careful against these witches. As if on cue, Balzar began his report. There were thirteen of them in the ruins armed with bolters and a flamer. The squad leader appeared to be wielding a power weapon. No heavy weapons in sight.

Vespasian would play this one conservatively. Their armor would be proof against all the weaponry in the enemy squad. There was no need to leave the safety of the vehicle until the enemy was softened up. "Brother Regius, we have need of your allies. Call upon them to strike the enemy!" Regius began to chant, calling on the powers of the Immaterium to join them in slaughter. His voice was quickly hoarse, as the language he spoke was not meant for a human throat.

Now began the waiting. He had the rhino take station at 120 meters from the ruins. They would provide harassment fire from within the transport until the Daemons arrived - whenever that would be. Creatures of the Warp were notoriously fickle. Still, they should be safe from mere bolter fire until then. Most likely the Sisters would use the ruins to provide cover and discourage assault.

True to their nature, the Sisters did the unexpected. As one they broke from cover and ran directly toward the transport. Vespasian thought them mad. Surely they didn't believe he would allow them an attack on the rear of the vehicle? The rhino fired into them as they ran but they ignored the bolter rounds flying around them. As the Sisters closed the distance they shouldered their weapons and pulled out anti-vehicle grenades. The Veteran Sister, resplendent in her blue cloak, pulled out something much more wicked...a melta bomb.

He tried to give the order to pull back, but it was too late. Multiple explosions rocked the transport, igniting the fuel tanks and hurling the vehicle onto its back. Vespasian had the wind knocked out of him as he was thrown clear of the blast. Armor panels and tread sections rained down on the squad, entangling them in the wreckage. The men were quick to extricate themselves and form up, but the Sisters were even faster. They ran around the burning hulk of the Rhino and unloaded a fusillade of bolter fire into the disorganized squad. Somehow it seemed that the bolter rounds ignored the considerable protection offered by Power Armor and cut his men down like sheathes of wheat. First Krys and then Balzar fell, but still the hail of merciless fire came. The squad was fast approaching destruction and Vespasian knew it was only a matter of seconds until they were all dead.

It was then that the Warp decided to answer their call. A shimmer in the air between the decimated Chaos warriors and the vengeful Sisters began to appear. The shimmer became a horrible rend in reality through which shambled eight warp spawned Daemons. With a wild, inhuman screech they charged into the midst of the Sororitas squad tearing at them with claw and fang. A terrible close quarters struggle then ensued between the Sisters and the Daemons as Vespasian ordered his squad forward. Looking around he realized that there was no one left but himself and Regius. There was nothing for the two of them to do but rush into the combat. The time for subtlety was ended and either glory or death would be their reward.

The next several minutes passed in a haze of adrenaline and pain as the unnatural strength and fury of the Daemons slowly took its toll on the Sisters. Sensing the changing tide of battle, the Sisters executed a flawless fighting withdrawal and retreated under organized cover fire. Vespasian did not pursue. His transport was a burning wreck, the Daemons could return to the Warp at any moment, and his squad was all but destroyed.

"Victory and glory!" shouted Regius, holding aloft the sacred Icon of Chaos Glory. Vespasian didn't dare tell him how pathetic he looked shouting such a thing all alone amidst the wreckage of their comrades. Still...they were both alive and they had driven off the Imperial incursion. He would return to his superiors with an account of a battle hard won against a hated foe. Most likely he would be promoted for this 'victory'. As he thought more about it his spirits began to lift. Perhaps he would be granted command of a company! He grinned evilly as he echoed his companion, "Victory and glory, indeed." Corporal Vespasian was having a good day.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Lucius left the Augury chamber in disgust. If the sorcerer was to be believed, his patrol on Shroud was ambushed and destroyed by a loyalist force. Another patrol was getting ready to disembark, but where to send it? Lucius went to the shrine of Astrogation and viewed the massive holographic projection of the Tyrus system. Glowing symbols showed the locations of both friendly and enemy forces. It was already becoming crowded in the outer system. Should he deploy them back to Shroud in order to exact vengeance or send them somewhere else where they might have more reign to capture resources? The Lord Commander made it clear that he would was not to engage the enemy directly until his force had built up to a size befitting a Lord of Chaos; and Lucius desperately hungered for direct engagement.

It was bad enough that Pox, not he, was assigned to lead the vanguard into the system. Now reports were coming in that Pox had only just begun consolidating his hold on the Void World of Hex and the bloated fool was already under siege from two Imperial forces! The loss of materiel due to the invasion was already being felt in the fleet. They were forced to postpone deploying a third cadre. Apparently the Daemon Prince had spent his time conducting rituals for his own benefit rather than building fortifications and deploying skirmishers. If the Lord Commander did not hold Pox in such high favor he certainly would have been "relieved" by now.

As always, anger helped focus Lucius on the task and he decided on a location to send the patrol force. He had a servant deliver the orders to his unit and walked inside the floating image of the system. Approaching the sun so that it hovered before him like a bauble, Lucius stared at the projection of the strange alien device orbiting it. "I will reach this prize first and claim it for Chaos."

Lucius spun around with inhuman grace and walked toward the exit with flourish. He grinned evilly as he left, "And then...we will see who is in favor and who is not."

The battle for Tyrus has begun!

Forces from all around the galaxy have converged on the obscure Tyrus system. No fewer than 4 Imperial forces have arrived, each with orders to claim the rich resources and artifacts and to stop any other forces doing the same. As happens all too often, strict adherence to orders from the far flung branches of the Imperium Administratus brings loyal troops in conflict with each other. In addition, a contingent of traitorous servants of the Gods of Chaos is also vying for dominion over Tyrus. From the depths of space a Necron Harvest Ship has silently glided into system and even now executes its inscrutable plans.

Thus far, only scouting forces have been sent forth to explore the many moons and asteroids of the outer solar system. Each power present has laid claim to one of the moons. Most have also sent spoiler forces to contest and disrupt the supply lines of their enemies. The only direct conflict occurred on the mist covered Moon of Shroud where a Daemonic incursion was driven off world by vigilant Anger Sharks.

The first two weeks of conflict brings the system to the current state:

The Anger Sharks, successors of the Blood Angels, have earned their dominance of Shroud through battle and are setting up facilities to process the unique chemical resources available there.

The Grey Knights have uncontested control of Borealis and are using the ancient sensor array complex there to assist in navigation throughout the system.

The Necrons, true to form, moved to take the dead world of Ash. What plans they have for the Dark Cathedral on this most ancient of worlds, none can know.

The forces of Chaos moved to take the moon of Hex, with its close ties to the warp. It is said that the Daemon Prince Pox has conducted foul ceremonies there. This has drawn the attention of both the Anger Sharks and the Sisters of Battle - who have both sent skirmish forces to crush this dark heresy.

The Sisters of Battle pacified the volcanic hell of Hephaestus and quickly exploited its many rich resources to field additional expedition forces. A Necron force has invaded to challenge the Sisters' supremacy here.

The mighty Astramalleus Space Marines landed in force in the dense jungles of Phrygia. There they have set up training facilities where unarmored marines fight the many powerful and hostile Xenos life forms. The Grey Knights, sensing the possibility that the Xenos are actually daemons, have sent an Inquisitorial Mission to cleanse Phrygia.

A second expedition from the Astramalleus is currently exploring the asteroids in the Lagrange point of the largest gas giant.

After an initial land grab by all the vying forces, there is little space left that can't be taken without conflict. Events should grow far more violent in the immediate future.

New Campaign to begin April 12th!

As you've no doubt read in email, the new campaign is getting ready to begin. We'll need to work out a venue for the first meeting, as the Lair and Forge are full that day. With six players, we can happily host on Salem, and get three 4x4 tables going (2 in the game room, and one in the living room). Russell has mentioned the possibility of Ninja Pirate for that day, and we've never been there, but I suppose it's possible if folks don't want to come to Salem.

Also, remember that it's "Take Daniel to Chipotle" night the 12th as well, in honor of his having won the Dalyth Campaign.

UPDATE: "Take Daniel to Chipotle Night" will have to be moved, due to Marcellus' declared absence on the 12th! Perhaps we should do this Sunday the 6th, after Babylon 5!

On conversions

Here is a bit on how I do these things. It's a little long, so I've linked it, rather than take up the screen here at Adeptus.

Iron Builder: CXI is there!

Today was the third of the Iron Builder tourneys we've been to at the Lair, and it was pretty fun. We hadn't planned things out this time, so our piece count wasn't nearly what it might have been.

The Hive Queen built gaunts, and had in mind a conversion for her Canoness, but needed to have drilled things out ahead of time-- Zap-a=Gap betrayed her partway through as things fell to pieces without time to get them to stick together.

Larry Prinzivalle was there, building tanks for a demo later, as well as a boatload of Assault Marines, and he took piece count as well as vehicles.

I puttered around with two Piranhas, a Grey Knight Terminator, some old, old Orks, my oldest blister of Eldar Musicians, and a quartet of power armored Grey Knights, and with an hour and a half to go, started piecing together my box of plastic Cadians. With a half hour to go, a mild bit of inspiration struck, and I borrowed a bit from my lovely wife's bit jars for a slightly startled sergeant:



I must also give credit to the Hive Queen for her good advice: rotating Mr. Rippy just slightly counterclockwise, so that he leaps to one side (and the sergeant's eyes are thus right on Mr. Rippy's head). Much better than the crotch-lunge that was originally glued down! With ten minutes to go, my conversion was done.



This makes three out of three that I've won for this category. I never really thought of myself as a custom converter, but are folks interested in hearing about how to do this sort of thing? I'd be happy to write something up if y'all think it would be useful.

Campaign talk

I have FAILED! Emperor Protect Me!

I did not do the campaign map over the holidays like I said I would. Bad me. I may be joining the Repentia squads later...

So I want to get together with every who wants to be in this next campaign and finally work out the details and get things started.

Dragon's Lair is having an Iron Builder contest on the 10^th. I plan to be there to build and talk and hopefully win...something!

But if you can't make it to that how about the next AA time, Feb. the 24^th?

We can meet at any of the stores, bring pencil and paper, and maybe we can get in a Combat Patrol mission afterwards.

More Painting Pointers

I realized after a few read throughs, that Atredies article was not about lazy painting, but about working smarter not harder. When one has nine pointers on how to turn out painted forces they aren’t lazy; they’re economical. The thought occurred to me that many of his pointers were the base for which advanced painting techniques come from, so I thought I would share some tips on improving your painting ability.

1. Paint often

If you paint 5 minutes or 5 hours, you must paint everyday. This simple act will improve your skills, even if you are not trying to. Painting on a daily basis will build muscle memory and fine motor skills. I find that when I go without painting it takes me some time to get back into it, so save your self the hassle.

2. Ask

I find that I have learned more from asking others more experienced than me how they accomplish various effects. Painters love telling you how they accomplished a project, so take advantage of this willingness to share.

3. Research

You should always look for new techniques. Thanks to the internet this is a fairly easy task. For example, Micron Pens have made some of my painting tasks easier, and in fact I have become faster painter because of these miraculous pens.

4. Tools

If you are really into painting figures invest in your tools. I used to think that brushes or paints were the same as any other. I must say I was truly mistaken. Cheap hobby paints are substandard when compared to figure paints and artist paints, and brushes are not all created equal. Since I’ve upgraded my brushes and stopped using cheapo paints my work has improved. Please understand by no means are your tools magic “PF Flyers” but they will assist you in the quest for improvement.

5. Cheat

Painting is all about the art of illusion. If you find a shortcut, a rule to break, or technique that gives you a better illusion then do it. By no means are any set of pointers or advice meant to be hard fast rules. This is your hobby, so in the end it is up to you to define how to best approach it.

Apocalypse Formations!

BoLS has links up to the new Orky Apoc formations at GW, which some of you have been seeing for the past month or so. There are some comments/complaints there to the effect that these formations are not balanced, and I must agree with one caveat (reposting from my comment there):

Apocalypse is definitely not about balance, but about getting together with friends and figuring out how to put together a xbawx-huege game. And since we're encouraged to come up with formations of our own, there's nothing to keep us from making up similar things for non-Green armies.

Here's an example:
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The Conflagration of Faith (Witch Hunters) 200+models
1 Command Immolator
2+ Immolator Squadrons
0+ Hellhound Squadrons

One Immolator must be designated as Command vehicle, with appropriately grand Sisters of Battle iconography. Other tanks in the formation must be deployed within 12" of the Command Immolator, or if entering from Strategic Reserve, enter from within 12" of the Command Immolator's entry point.

Crackling Faith: Any Immolator or Hellhound in this formation that CAN perform a Tank Shock MUST perform that Tank Shock. Units Shocked by any tank within this formation suffer a cumulative -1 penalty to leadership for every Immolator or Hellhound within 12" after Tank Shock Movement is completed.

Searing Promethium: If the Command Immolator is still on the table, any tank in this formation may also fire its main weapon after Tank Shocking. Units forced to test for fallback by taking casualties suffer a cumulative -1 penalty for every Immlator or Hellhound within 12" when they test.

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Now you try it!

Finished Comission: PH Dark Angel Comander

Well ladies and gents I have completed a comissioned piece that is now all made of awesome and win. So without further ado, or guilding the lily:

Crosposted at Tactical Rock.