Hey, I’ve actually been painting

There are totally going to be titans in our Apocalypse game it will be awesome. Can’t wait to take some photos. Er… and play the game.

I haven’t been my usual blogging self lately. No opinionated blow-hardiness(?) around here – I’ve actually been doing proper painting. Astonishing, I know.

I’ve been preparing for our up-coming apocalypse game, and I have to say, painting GW-sized units of infantry is wearing pretty thin. I’m starting to think after all these years that hey, maybe I have enough Imperial Guardsmen and Battle Sisters for my purposes. I mean I have more than enough for even the largest casual games, and the variety available to me pretty much covers all the units I actually find interesting. With my time and money being drastically restricted now by an extra family member, a reduced income, and an increasingly demanding workload, I think it’s time to put the brakes on and stop actively collecting. I might pick up the odd vehicle, but to be honest I only want another hell-hound, maybe another russ variant.

Stop collecting 40k that is. I’m thoroughly enjoying painting my half-a-dozen Yu Jung soldiers for Infinity. It’s a real struggle to force myself to paint twelve nearly identical battle sisters to match my other nearly identical battle sisters when in front of me are sitting a ninja with a sniper rifle and four soldiers who, while admittedly all in the same uniform, vary hugely in pose, face, hairstyle and even gender.

Once they’re done and added to my domaru and keisotsu I’ll have a legal 150 point army, which is enough for small games. Contrast that with the twelve battle sisters I have to paint to get oh, about a quarter of the points value of the smallest 40k game anyone would ever agree to play, and you can see why I’m kind of over it.

Don’t get me wrong, 40k is a fun game, I’ve always said so, and it’s not like I’m getting rid of my armies or anything foolish like that. I just think enough is enough, at least in terms of infantry squads.  Multitudinous, mind-numbing infantry squads.

Stay tuned, and I’ll put up pics of my finished Sisters and Yu Jing soon.

Codex: Sisters of Battle 2011

So, I finally got my hands on the second part of the Sisters of Battle White Dwarf codex.  I’ve been holding back from joining in the online discussion until I saw the points values and have all the info, and I have to say, I like it.

I realize that the response online from players has been mostly negative – at least from what I’ve seen – so let me share a few thoughts about why I’m glad GW did this.  I admit it’s partly because I’m a glass half-full kind of guy (and partly because I enjoy flouting received opinion), but that’s not the whole story.

After Action Report: The Invasion of St. Arkham, part VIII

THE ATTACKERS

• Brother-Captain Gaius – Space Marine Captain, digital weapons, artificer armour, jump pack, power weapon, bolt pistol, melta bombs
• Squad Lucianus – Assault squad (5), power weapon, melta bombs
• Sternguard Squad Severinus – Sternguard (5), 5 combi-melta guns, power fist, drop pod
  
• Aquiline – Land Speeder Storm, multi-melta
• Squad Ulixes – Tactical Squad (10), flamer, missile launcher, melta bombs, plasma pistol, power weapon
• Squad Vorenus – Tactical Squad (10), meltagun, missile launcher, combi-melta gun, power fist, drop pod
• Squad Gabriel – Tactical Squad (10), flamer, missile launcher, melta bombs, power weapon, drop pod
• Squad Artorius – Tactical Squad (5), storm bolter, power fist
• Llamrei – Razorback (lascannon, twin-linked plasma gun
• Squad Castiel – Scout Squad (5), power weapon, melta bombs
• Squad Telion – Scout Squad (5), Sgt. Telion, 4 sniper rifles
• Brother Constantinus – Venerable Dreadnought, heavy flamer, Lucius pattern drop pod (IA)
• Terminator Squad Lotharius – Assault Terminators (5), 4 lightning claws, thunder hammer and storm shield
• Diomedes – Land Raider Prometheus (IA), extra armour, multi-melta
• Invictus – Land Raider Crusader, extra armour, multi-melta
• Leontius – Predator, 2 lascannons
• Eugenius – Whirlwind

THE DEFENDERS

• Lord General Drake, commander-in-chief of Battlegroup Wyvern – Company Command Squad, Straken, medic, standard bearer, bodyguard, two flamers, chimera with heavy flamer and multi-laser
• Paxila IX, canoness commander of the Order of the Revenant Maiden’s St. Arkham convent – Saint Celestine (Codex: Witch Hunters)
• Enginseer Rodan – Techpriest Enginseer, 3 servitors
• Confessor Bastable, 44th St. Arkham – Priest, eviscerator
• Borgez’s Inquisitorial Agent – Guardsman Marbo
• Nemesis Coven, Psykana Auxilia – Psyker Battle Squad, 5 Sanctioned Psykers, overseer
• 8th Kasrkin – 6 Stormtroopers, bolter, power weapon, 2 melta guns
• Gloominwald Ogryn Auxilia – Ogryn Squad, 3 ogryns and BONE Head
• Cadian 129th Grenadiers– Veteran squad, power fist, 3 plasma guns, Grenadiers
• 44th St. Arkham sharpshooters – Veteran squad, lascannon, two snipers, Forward Sentries
• Order of the Revenant Maiden, St. Arkham convent –  Battle Sisters (10), melta gun, flamer, frag and krak grenades, veteran superior (Book of St. Lucius, power weapon)
• Lt. Blake, 44th St. Arkham – Platoon command squad, bolter, heavy bolter
• Squad Boxer – Infantry squad, autocannon, grenade launcher, power weapon, commissar with power weapon
• Squad Coleridge – Infantry squad, autocannon, grenade launcher, power weapon
• Platoon fire support – 3 mortar teams
• Platoon fire support – 3 autocannon teams
• 861st Krieg Lancers – 6 Death Riders (IA), power weapon
  
• Hell’s Breath, St. Arkham 1st Armoured – Banewolf, hull multi-melta
• Arrow Squadron – Leman Russ Squadron, Anathema, St. Arkham 1st Armoured (Leman Russ Demolisher, multi-melta sponsons, heavy flamer), Storm Giant, St. Arkham 1st Armoured (Leman Russ Battle Tank, heavy flamer, pintle heavy stubber), Cadian 8th desig. unknown (Leman Russ Battle Tank, lascannon, heavy bolter sponsons)
• St. Arkham PDF AA – Hydra battery, Hydra with camo netting

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At last, battle eight of the Invasion of St. Arkham – a 2750 point game.  I had trouble getting my list together this time because I ran out of models and points at 2,680 to make up a legal Force Organization Chart.

We thought of a few possibilities: allow me an Apocalypse stratagem, maybe use my new Rangers as sneaky xenos with their own agenda, but eventually we agreed I could just take an extra Elite slot.  After all, the invasion is almost accomplished, so the Arkhamites would be bringing out their last ditch guns.  I filled the slot with a small squad of psykers.

This report may be a little longer than usual because the game was pretty huge (look at my list! It’s as long as my arm).  I’ve tried my best not to waffle on though, and the game was very exciting . . . 

After Action Report: The Invasion of St. Arkham, part VII

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“My lord Inquisitor, I’m glad you could join us.”  Lord General Drake bent his knee and bowed his head before the metal giant.  It was for the benefit of the men – he and Borgez had already met last night, when the famous Ordo Hereticus agent had told him that the Ultramarines were refusing even to acknowledge his Inquisitorial rosette.

It was a bad sign.  It meant either that the marines had decided Borgez himself was tainted, or that he was incompetent and had failed to notice heresy on his own doorstep.

The ancient witch hunter’s voice rasped from the vox-cherub built into his battle suit. “We will stop them here Drake.  I guarantee it.”

The mighty cyborg swayed and creaked as the ground shook, drop pods raining down. Borgez’s face remained stony in the huge metal body, his beady eyes sharp and black. Drake made the sign of the Aquila and touched his icon of the Emperor to his mask in silent prayer as Kreig Death Riders cantered past him.  

Where were the bloody tanks?

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THE ATTACKERS

• Brother-Captain Gaius – Space Marine Captain, digital weapons, artificer armour, jump pack, power weapon, bolt pistol, melta bombs
• Squad Lucianus – Assault squad (5), power weapon
• Aquiline – Land Speeder Storm, heavy flamer
• Squad Ulixes – Tactical Squad (10), plasma cannon, plasma gun, plasma pistol, power weapon
• Squad Vorenus – Tactical Squad (10), meltagun, multi-melta, combi-melta gun, power fist, drop pod
• Squad Gabriel – Tactical Squad (10), flamer, missile launcher, melta bombs, power weapon, drop pod
• Squad Castiel – Scout Squad (5), power weapon, melta bombs
• Squad Telion – Scout Squad (5), Sgt. Telion, 4 sniper rifles
• Brother Constantinus – Venerable Dreadnought, multi-melta, Lucius pattern drop pod
• Squad Titus – Terminators (5), power weapon, cyclone missile launcher, in Diomedes – Land Raider Prometheus, extra armour, multi-melta
• Leontius – Predator, lascannons
• Nicephorus – Whirlwind
• Squad Apollo – Devastators (10), 3 missile launchers, lascannon

THE DEFENDERS

• Lord General Drake, commander-in-chief of Battlegroup Wyvern – Company Command Squad, Straken, medic, standard bearer, bodyguard, two flamers, chimera with heavy flamer and multi-laser
• Lord Inquisitor Julius Borgez – Inquisitor Lord Karamazov (Codex: Witch Hunters)
• Enginseer Rodan – Techpriest Enginseer, 3 servitors
• Nemesis Coven, Psykana Auxilia – Psyker Battle Squad, 4 Sanctioned Psykers, overseer
• 1337 – Eversor Assassin
• Cadian 129th Grenadiers – Veteran squad, power fist, 3 plasma guns, chimera with multi-laser and heavy flamer, Grenadiers
• 44th St. Arkham sharpshooters – Veteran squad, lascannon, two snipers, Forward Sentries
• Order of the Revenant Maiden, St. Arkham convent –  Battle Sisters (10), melta gun, flamer, frag and krak grenades, veteran superior (power weapon)
• 8th Kasrkin – 6 Stormtroopers, bolter, power weapon, 2 melta guns
• Lt. Blake, 44th St. Arkham – Platoon command squad, bolter, heavy bolter
• Squad Boxer – Infantry squad, grenade launcher, power weapon, commissar with power weapon
• Squad Coleridge – Infantry squad, grenade launcher, power weapon
• Platoon fire support – 3 mortar teams
• Platoon fire support – 3 autocannon teams
• 861st Krieg Lancers – 6 Death Riders, power weapon
• Hell’s Breath, St. Arkham 1st Armoured – Banewolf, hull multi-melta
• Anathema, St. Arkham 1st Armoured – Leman Russ Demolisher, multi-melta sponsons, heavy flamer
• Storm Giant, St. Arkham 1st Armoured – Leman Russ Battle Tank, heavy flamer, pintle heavy stubber
• Unknown designation, Cadian 8th Armoured sec. battlegroup Wyvern – Leman Russ Battle Tank, lascannon, heavy bolter sponsons

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The campaign’s getting down to the wire now.  I made a mistake last time – the mission we played was Implacable Advance not Trench Warfare.  This time it was Trench Warfare, and it was a doozy.  As always, you can check out the campaign we’re playing here at Sign of the Aquila.

This game I finally fielded my counts-as Karamazov in an attempt to repel the marines (hey, 2500 points is a lot!  I need every ridiculous special character I can get).

Sisters of Battle mini-codex

So this is probably old news to most of you, but GW has announced that there will be a Sisters of Battle mini-codex printed across two up-coming issues of White Dwarf. Since the Witch Hunters are one of my 40k armies, I have some thoughts on this.

After Action Report: The Invasion of St. Arkham, part VI

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Lord General Drake peered out over the trench lines.  His army had managed to fight the invading Astartes to a standstill here, at great cost to the once-thriving city, and battle had been raging for over a week now.  His men were dug in deep, and the Ultramarines were proving difficult to track.  They performed hit and run attacks on his embattled troops seemingly at random. But now the sky was filled with the dark shape of an astartes battle-barge, and the enemy had collected in enough numbers to be clearly visible to long-range auspex and psyker-augury.

Drake’s ancient power armour, gifted to the founder of his line by the Mechanicus long ago, made him the equal of any astartes in combat.  The huge plates hissed and clanked, and gouts of smoke and steam belched from the valves on his back.  His boots crushed the gravel to powder and he grimly primed his hefty plasma pistol and checked his sabre, reinforced for his augmented strength.  These traitors would regret coming here, to his world, sullying the sacred ground with their heathen filth.

He looked over and nodded to Paxila.  The canoness soared into the air, trailing flame, her white armour gleaming in the gloom. She landed on top of a Sororitas vehicle with an audible clank and raised her flaming power sword.  The men bellowed and cheered at this angelic display.  

Drake’s amplified voice crackled over the nearby men and over the vox as drop pods fell like meteors.  “Here they come boys! Let’s throw them back into space!”

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THE ATTACKERS

• Brother-Captain Gaius – Space Marine Captain, digital weapons, artificer armour, jump pack, power weapon, bolt pistol, melta bombs
• Squad Lucianus – Assault squad (5), power weapon
• Aquiline – Land Speeder Storm, heavy flamer
• Squad Ulixes – Tactical Squad (10), plasma cannon, plasma gun, plasma pistol, power weapon
• Squad Vorenus – Tactical Squad (10), meltagun, multi-melta, combi-melta gun, power fist, drop pod
• Squad Gabriel – Tactical Squad (10), flamer, missile launcher, melta bombs, power weapon, drop pod
• Squad Castiel – Scout Squad (5), power weapon, melta bombs
• Squad Telion – Scout Squad (5), Sgt. Telion, 4 sniper rifles
• Brother Constantinus – Venerable Dreadnought, multi-melta, Lucius pattern drop pod
• Brother Faustulus – Dreadnought, two twin-linked autocannons
• Squad Lotharius – Assault Terminators (5), 4 lightning claws, thunder hammer and storm shield
• Diomedes – Land Raider Prometheus, extra armour, multi-melta
• Invictus – Land Raider Crusader, extra armour, multi-melta

THE DEFENDERS

• Lord General Drake, commander-in-chief of Battlegroup Wyvern – Company Command Squad, Straken, medic, standard bearer, bodyguard, two flamers, chimera with heavy flamer and multi-laser
• Paxila IX, canoness commander of the Order of the Revenant Maiden’s St. Arkham convent – Adepta Sororitas Canoness, jump pack, Mantle of Ophelia, power weapon, melta bombs, frag grenades
• Enginseer Rodan – Techpriest Enginseer, 3 servitors
• Confessor Bastable, 44th St. Arkham – Priest, eviscerator
• Nemesis Coven, Psykana Auxilia – Psyker Battle Squad, 8 Sanctioned Psykers, overseer, chimera with multi-laser and heavy flamer
• Cadian 129th – Veteran squad, power fist, 3 plasma guns
• 44th St. Arkham sharpshooters – Veteran squad, Bastonne, lascannon, two snipers, Forward Sentries
• Order of the Revenant Maiden, St. Arkham convent –  Battle Sisters (10), melta gun, flamer, frag and krak grenades, veteran superior (Book of St. Lucius, power weapon), Rhino, smoke launchers
• 8th Kasrkin – 6 Stormtroopers, bolter, power weapon, 2 melta guns
• Lt. Blake, 44th St. Arkham – Platoon command squad, bolter, heavy bolter
• Squad Boxer – Infantry squad, grenade launcher, power weapon, commissar with power weapon
• Squad Coleridge – Infantry squad, grenade launcher, power weapon
• Platoon fire support – 3 mortar teams
• Platoon fire support – 3 autocannon teams
• Anathema, St. Arkham 1st Armoured – Leman Russ Demolisher, multi-melta sponsons, heavy flamer
• Storm Giant, St. Arkham 1st Armoured – Leman Russ Battle Tank, heavy flamer, pintle heavy stubber

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Well, it’s been a while since I’ve updated the blog.  I’ve been away at a conference for work, and I didn’t get a chance to prepare this report before I left.  So here, after a long wait, is a return to the Invasion of St. Arkham.  The details will be sparse because this was over a week ago now, but you’ll get the gist (hint: I lost again!)

Witch Hunters: what does the future hold?

As a part-time Inquisition player I’ve been pretty excited about the release of the new Grey Knights codex.  This was mainly because I was keen to see what Games Workshop might have planned for my beloved Ordo Hereticus.

Over the last couple of years I’ve been involved in many (sometimes heated!) discussions on the net about the direction GW should take in terms of the Inquisition in 40k.  In all of these, I’ve been pretty firm in my prediction that the Witch Hunters as we know them would disappear, all of the Inquisition would be put in one book with the Grey Knights, and the Sisters of Battle would be paired with Ecclesiarchy units in another book.  Now it seems that so far I am right, and I still think we will see the other book in pretty much the form I predict.  But I have to say that so far it hasn’t turned out exactly as I imagined or hoped.

Paxila IX, canoness commander of the Order of the Revenant Maiden, St. Arkham convent

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That thou wouldst bring them only death,

That thou shouldst spare none,

That thou shouldst pardon none

We beseech thee, destroy them.

– Excerpt from The Battle Hymn of the Adepta Sororitas

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This is my Sororitas Canoness, from my own Order of the Revenant Maiden. She started out as the standard Veteran Superior that you get in the box, but I removed her chainsword/eviscerator and replaced it with the Bright Wizard’s sword from the Warhammer Fantasy Battle Empire Wizard kit.  I highly recommend picking up this kit if you are a Witch Hunters player, it has loads of great bits.  I think I’ve used most of it now.  I also switched out her plasma pistol for the metal canoness’s book, and lastly I gave her a Seraphim jump pack with an icon from the Immolator pinned to it.  The sword counts variously as a power weapon, blessed weapon, and brazier of holy fire.

Paxila is a good example of one of my attempts to paint outside the lines.  I wanted to make her look bold and powerful using colour rather than simply make her look realistic or neat.  My favourite thing about the paint job on this model is the armour – I decided to try dappling silver on the white armor when it was done, and it paid off.  It has a really nice pearly effect but also looks a little battle-worn.  I now use that method on all my Battle Sisters.

Pity she doesn’t work too well in games.  The big flaming sword looks so hard-core that I keep forgetting she gets instant killed by strength 6 or higher, and she keeps . . . getting instant killed.

The Invasion of St. Arkham

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In late 896M41, the small shrine world of St. Arkham was attacked by the 2nd company of the Ultramarines.  At the time of the mysterious invasion Lord General Drake’s battlegroup Wyvern was on-world, recovering from a prolonged and costly war against the xenos Tau and presenting their various regimental colours for blessing at the mighty Basilica of St. Arkham.

Initially, battlegroup Wyvern was disoriented by the speed and ferocity of the Space Marine’s planetfall, but Lord General Drake was a native Arkhamite and a pious man, and on the advice of the Ecclesiarch of St. Arkham he resolved to defend the holy world at all costs from the invaders, no matter who they appeared to be.

If the under-strength and weary battlegroup Wyvern had been the only warriors on the world the Space Marines may have had a swift victory. They were not however.  In a secluded citadel in the mountains west of the capital, the small but battle-hardened Order of the Revenant Maiden trained and fasted, ready to protect the sacred planet with their lives.

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My friend and regular opponent Jay and I have been wanting to play a campaign for a while now, and last week after he bought a flash new gaming board he suggested we finally kick it off.  As we are both busy people, we are using the excellent Fall of Corian IV campaign from Sign of the Aquila.

I’ve never played a Planetstrike game before (I hadn’t even read the book till yesterday!), but the first mission is a 1000 point Planetstrike game.  I like what I see in the book – it looks brutal and fast-paced, which is exactly how I like my 40k.

In keeping with the nature of our armies, Jay’s Ultramarines will be the death from above and my Imperial Guard will (no doubt literally) be the bodies on the ground.  I’m really looking forward to the first game, and I’ll post a battle report as soon as the invasion has begun . . .