Adeptus Titanicus - Legio Fureans, Part Two

Next up we have not one, but two Warhounds! These models have to be among my favorite Games Workshop kit! I built the pair with identical weapons because I expect them to stick together and I think they will be most effective if all of their guns have similar ranges. I should warn you, I suck at actually PLAYING these games as my choices are based on what I thought looked cool... treat any tactical advice I might give with suspicion.

Something that's so great about Adeptus Titanicus is that each of the warmachines can have unique heraldry. Even though both of these Warhounds are clearly members of the Legio Fureans, they bear markings that identify them as individuals.

To give these models an obvious sense of scale, even to those unfamiliar with the game, I dug out some old Epic models and ruined walls to add detail to the bases. The traitor Space Marines above have been painted as Emperor's Children, chosen for contrast against all of the yellow armor. Technically, these are too small in scale to go with the newest version of the titan models, but I like how it looked.

I should point out that these kits are very easy to magnetize to swap weapons, but I've chosen not to do this. I figure if I need a different combo, I'll paint more titans! I need to get around to naming my titans as that's a big part of the lore. Maybe by the time I've run through the next couple of posts I'll have sorted this out.

Adeptus Titanicus - Legio Fureans, Part One

Last year, I jumped into Adeptus Titanicus with both feet, but it's taken me a while to get around to catch up with blogging. Even before I put together my first model (LOVE these minis), I knew I would be collecting at least two sides and I knew one of them would be the traitor Tiger Eyes - Legio Fureans!

I painted a few of these in the 80's, but I never really got to play the game and I'm not really what sure what happened to them. As soon as I saw the reboot and the new kits I knew my wallet was going to hate me.

The first model of my Axiom Battleline Maniple was this Reaver Titan. This was so much fun to paint. The flames are a mixture of decals and freehand work. I intend to add a banner to the gun and I've already made it, but I haven't worked how I want to attach it yet.

Next up, my favorite new kit, the Warhound!

Blackstone Fortress - Part Seven

Finally, something from the dim past of Rogue Trader and new menaces unique to the Blackstone Fortress!

Chaos Beastmen
Horned abhumans renowned for their ferocity and physical strength, Chaos Beastmen have fled their persecution at the hands of the Imperium and thrown in their lot with the Dark Gods.

Negavolt Cultists
Negavolt Cultists are Chaos-worshipping renegades of the Adeptus Mechanicus who fuse themselves with corrupt machinery that channels their own pain and hatred into of arcs of warp-infused energy that leaps from their electro goads.

Whew! It's with a great sense of accomplishment that I've finished the entire core box set. I'm not sure that I've EVER done this despite having painted several thousand GW models over the years!

So, what's next? Expansions, of course! To date I've purchased everything GW has made for this game and still plenty to paint for both the explorers and hostiles. I also have a really nifty set of 3D terrain tiles on the way to replace the card tiles from the box...

These were designed by The Dragon's Rest. As I have yet to spring for a 3D printer (it's on the list, but I keep buying models instead), I ordered my set from OTP Terrain.

Thanks for following along! I'll post more on this project as I get on. Once I get the terrain painted, there may even be some proper game reports...

Blackstone Fortress - Part Six

Backing up the Chaos Space Marines are contingents from traitorous Astra Militarum regiment!

Traitor Guardsmen
Renegades and deserters hailing from dozens of different Astra Militarum regiments, these Traitor Guardsmen obey their Chaos Space Marine masters with sycophantic loyalty, gunning down intruders with overwhelming firepower.

Rogue Psykers
Rogue Psykers are among the greatest risks to the Imperium, for their latent powers can lead to daemonic possession or sometimes even full-blown warp breaches. To encounter such dangerous psykers is to risk one’s very soul…

Almost done!

Blackstone Fortress - Part Five

Obsidius Mallex
Ever since becoming trapped aboard the Blackstone Fortress, the Chaos Lord Obsidius Mallex has strived to bend its terrible weaponry to his will and become a new power in the galaxy.

Chaos Space Marines
Hailing from Obsidius Mallex’s warband, the Servants of the Abyss, these towering Chaos Space Marines became trapped alongside their lord when an empyric cataclysm caused their dread cruiser, Impaler, to become fused with the Blackstone Fortress.

Blackstone Fortress - Part Four

There are strange creatures haunting the shadows in the Blackstone Fortress!

Spindle Drones

Seemingly formed of the same substance as the Blackstone Fortress, Spindle Drones serve as its white blood cells, swarming to attack any foreign intruder. The more resistance is offered, the more aggressive and dangerous they become.

Ur-Ghul
Ur-ghuls are troglodytic predators whose speed is matched only by their blind savagery. Normally found hunting prey within they Aeldari webway, how they made their way onto the Blackstone Fortress in such numbers is a mystery.

As if these weren't bad enough, there seems to be a bit of a Chaos infestation as well...

Blackstone Fortress - Part Three

Taddeus the Purifier

Taddeus is a Ministorum Priest brought to the Blackstone Fortress by a holy vision seen in the burning remains of a particularly impertinent Imperial Navyman. Taddeus hopes to bring the Imperial Cult to Precipice, as well as purging any taint from the Blackstone Fortress itself.

Pious Vorne

Once a hive ganger, Pious Vorne now fights alongside Taddeus the Purifier, having discovered the joys of faith (not to mention burning heretics). Vorne has a pathological love of incendiary execution and seeks to slay any heretics who see the Blackstone Fortress as a refuge from the Emperor’s light.

UR-025
UR-025 is an oddity, even by the standards of Precipice. Ostensibly an aged Imperial Robot in the service of a Magos of the Adeptus Mechanicus, it seems there are secrets to UR-025’s past that may be revealed as you play. UR-025 is interested not in the Blackstone Fortress itself, but the seemingly sentient constructs that inhabit it.

The robot is one of my favorite models from the set - there is something very oldschool about the design and the color makes me think of a refrigerator from the 70's...

Next up... The Hostiles!

Blackstone Fortress - Part Two

On to the Servants of the Emperor!

Janus Draik
Janus Draik is a Rogue Trader – one of the bold pioneers tasked with expanding the borders of the Imperium. The Blackstone Fortress is one in a long line of claims this explorer has made for the Imperium – and a source of invaluable archeotech and artefacts for future ventures.

Espern Locarno
The Blackstone Fortress is filled with treasures of ages past – and the Navigator Houses are interested in getting ahold of some of these. Espern Locarno is a sanctioned mutant tasked with rediscovering cargos which belong to his house by ancient right – as well as technologies to refine the ill-understood processes of warp travel.

I really enjoyed painting these models, especially the Navigator - more stalwart defenders of Mankind in the next post!

Blackstone Fortress - Part One

After watching a few games of Blackstone Fortress on Warhammer TV, I really fell in love with the game. While not expressly Oldhammer/Rogue Trader, the revival of the Warhammer Quest style game and the characterful models pulled me in.

Over the next few weeks I'll be showing off my progress getting the set painted and then hope to coax a campaign out of my friends. Failing that, it is a perfect game for solo play as the dungeons and baddies are all randomly generated and controlled!

I decided to start with the heroes (naturally). Although there are a pile of Imperial characters, I choose to start with the xenos because they are rare in my 40k collection if they aren't green and crying. 'Waaaagh!!'

Amallyn Shadowguide
Hailing originally from the now-shattered Craftworld of Biel-Tan, Amallyn Shadowguide has travelled the webway for centuries. For her, the Blackstone Fortress represents a possible way to save her dying home and to make Biel-Tan whole again through the strange technologies within.

Dahyak Grekh
Like many Kroot, Dahyak Grekh is a mercenary, working for the highest bidder. The Kroot mercenary code of honour is key to him – for it is through loyal service that the Kroot may consume new genetic material. Through eating many unfortunate inhabitants of the fortress and thus assuming their memories, Grekh has learned much of the mysteries in the Blackstone Fortress...

Rein & Raus
Little is known about Rein & Raus. Their wargear would suggest that these sanctioned abhumans once fought with the Astra Militarum, but now they live as renegades. Both are consummate thieves – to them, the Blackstone Fortress represents profit and little else.

Right! That's it for sneaky xenos.. we'll have a few shining heroes of the Imperium up in a few days time...

Tyranid Army For Sale

I'm having a bit of a clean out and my Tyranid army is listed on e-Bay.. they've been in a box for well over two years and I decided to set them free (I expect the Inquisition to show up at my door any time now).

There are 86 models and it was 2300 points in 7th edition, but I've never calculated the cost in 8th. The paint scheme is easy to replicate so the army will be a snap reinforce. I'll supply a list of paints to the winning buyer.

'Ere We Go!

Life continues to be stupidly busy. I finished the Genestealer Cult Kill Team I previewed in my last post, but haven't had the time to take pics of them. I did manage to paint something new this week though...

The Orks have always been my favorite Warhammer 40k army. In the grimdark of the 40k universe, where everything is horrible for most sentient races, the orks cheerfully blast through the endless battlefields having the time of their lives. I've collected them since the days of Rogue Trader. It's weird there are only three posts on this blog about them.

The new codex for 8th edition orks just dropped today, though the 'net has been full of leaks and images so there isn't much that remained a surprise. Forums seemed to have mixed feelings on the book, with competitive players unhappy about this point value or that ability. I always find that terribly amusing, but then I'm not a tournament player. My armies are always composed of the models I wanted to paint rather than the best synergies and I prefer narrative games to competitive ones.

I love the new codex and the new models that were released (although I DID wish for a new Ork Weirdboy model... maybe one of these days). I haven't purchased the new Ork racing game, Speed Freeks, but I did buy one of the models from that game on eBay... the Shokkjump Dragsta!

The Shokkjump Dragsta, a racer that uses shokk-attack technology to project itself ahead of the competition. The thing basically has a chance to pull a Back to the Future 88-mph teleport... emphasis on chance, because it doesn't always work and the attempt could leave you in a bad spot on the battlefield, which seems like a very orky predicament. I picture the thing barreling toward a fortress wall, intending to jump inside, failing to activate the tech, and plowing into the wall (much to the wonderment of the defenders) while screaming Waaagh! all the way. Rule-wise, it always has grot gunners and a targeting squig, making it among the most accurate shooting model orks can have. Yes, please, I'll take two...

Anyway, I am in the middle of rehabbing some of my old models, rebasing the infantry (not mandatory, but the new GW models are on 32mm bases rather than 25mm and I like the way they look), and adding to the horde. I'll post pics as I get the chance.

Ahriman, Sorcerer of Tzeentch

For ten thousand years, the seeker of arcane truths known as Ahriman has roamed the galaxy in a quest to acquire every artefact, every tome and every scroll that harbours eldritch powers. Worlds burn in his shadow as he plucks these treasures from their owners by any means necessary. Resistance is the last error his enemies can make – Tzeentchian magic reshapes reality around them, a pass of the Black Staff twisting their bodies unnaturally until nothing remains but bubbling flesh. Ahriman, lord of a broken Legion; his determination is such that destiny itself bends to his whim.

Painted for my brother Dennis' collection. It was fun to paint something different. The base is photoshop wizardry because he is going to finish it to match the rest of his army. I just didn't want to post the pic with an unfinished black base!

It was probably a mistake because this guy is dead hard and he is absolutely going to kill me...

Kill Team Crucible

When the new Kill Team game out, I was psyched to find the elements of role playing that was built into the game. Adding specialists provides a level of narration that also give you concrete benefits during the game. However, there is another layer of charts that allow you to add details like the reason your team was formed and the personalities of your main characters. These are unique to each army choice and there are also name generators to get you started if you don't know what  a genestealer cultist might be called. Of course, you can do this in any game, but I feel like having Games Workshop add these elements in each army list encourages people to make use of the narrative element, especially newcomers to the hobby.

After building my Kill Team from the Deathwatch list, I rolled randomly on the charts to give them more life beyond their stats and forge a narrative.

Kill Team Doctrine
The Deathwatch are humanity's shield against xenos horrors. I decided to go with an all Primaris Kill Team because I really like the models and haven't done a lot with them yet. I chose the Team Doctrine 'Fortis Kill Team' because... well... these teams are comprised solely of the heroic Primaris battle brothers!

Mission
Of course, every game will have a different mission, but this defines the reason your team was assembled. I rolled on the chart and got 'The Cull' meaning they are especially interested in suffering not the alien to live, even for Space Marines.

Squad Quirk
This is something that sets your squad apart from the rest. I ended up with 'The Bigger Picture' which says my warriors know full well the wider price of failure and are willing to commit unconscionable deeds in the name of victory. THAT sounds ominous...

Intercessor Marcus Aggrenor, Ultramarines
Leader (Tactician: Marcus' mind is a rich repository of tried and tested combat maneuvers.)
Bolt Rifle, Bolt Pistol, Frag Grenades, and Krak Grenades

Of course the leader is an Ultrmarine! I used some Deathwatch bits on my leader to make him stand out a little.

Intercessor Navaer "Never" Qeld, Chapter Unknown
Sniper (Black Shield: Mysterious and insular, Naever's past is a dark secret.)
Stalker Bolt Rifle, Bolt Pistol, Frag Grenades, and Krak Grenades

I wanted the sniper's Stalker Bolt Rifle to stand out from the others so I snagged a barrel from a Scout Sniper Rifle.

I rolled "Black Shield" for my Sniper, which is something peculiar to Deathwatch. For reasons known only to the Deathwatch Chapter Master this marine has chosen to keep his chapter of origin a secret. He may be on a clandestine mission for his Primarch, the last survivor of a destroyed chapter, or one of The Fallen. The Chapter Master has approved his assignment to the team and his brothers will not ask him further. His comrades call him "Never" as in "never misses" which is sure to doom his dice rolls.

Intercessor Jago Haden, Imperial Fists
Gunner (Contemptuous: Jago has nothing but scorn for xenos and all their works, and his disgust for them finds its purest expression in battle.)
Bolt Rifle, Auxiliary Grenade Launcher, Bolt Pistol, Frag Grenades, and Krak Grenades

I love that the Imperial Fist came up with 'Contemptuous' as his personality. I seem him disdaining to take advantage of cover in games (which probably means he gets killed, but oh well).

Reiver Erik Stormstrider, Space Wolves
Combat Specialist (Hunter: Once Erik sets his eyes on a particular quarry, he harries them to the exclusion of all else.)
Heavy Bolt Pistol, Combat Knife, Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades, Shock Grenades, and Grav Chute

Combat Specialist.. well, yeah, Space Wolf! Originally I was going to convert a model with an axe, but I really liked this pose. I added the wolf tail on the pistol grip and there is a wolf skull on the back of his belt. He will patrol forward through cover seeking to close with the enemy as quickly as possible on the tabletop.

Reiver Ari Mologhai, Black Templars
No specialty (New Comer: Ari replaced a beloved and trusted battle-brother who fell. He seeks to prove himself to his new squad.)
Bolt Carbine, Heavy Bolt Pistol, Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades, Shock Grenades, Grapnel, and Grav Chute

I went ahead and rolled a personality for the sole non-specialist on the team and got "New Comer". The others refer to him as "The Kid" despite his decades of service in Black Templars and I see him constantly trying to prove himself in battle and taking crazy risks in games.

I just realized I forgot to add the squad marking (4) on their knee pad.. oh, well.

I KNOW people are going to ask - the name plates are from Versatile Terrain and worth every pound. They have several different sizes and different style fonts. I will be getting more of these...

So that's it. I don't know how they will actually fare in games, but Primaris are dead hard with two wounds and 3+ saves. The special ammunition rule for Deathwatch will make them extra dangerous. This was a fun project and I see more Kill Teams in my future.