6th Edition Allies... Yes Please!

Recently I played what the local gaming store called "Farewell to 5th"

The number of mechanized forces I witnessed really should not have surprised me, considering the blogs out there that support the built for guard... perhaps you have seen it.

Command Squad + Melta Vet Squads in Chimeras + Manticore Missile Launcher... and maybe a Valkryie just for flavor.

At least that seemed to be the builds I witnessed more than anything else.  For my fleshy guard that was a tough nut to crack.  Still, I was able to pull out a victory against one of those formations thanks to charging my boys right up against them with Krak grenades.  After that it was numbers against veterans.

Still, there is an obvious lack of mobility in this army... men can only run so fast.  Which brings me to my point.

Allies in 6th


Everybody and their mother has been talking about this... some love it, some think it will break the game.

Me, I just think it allows me to get even more into the background character of this army.  

And what kind of allies would an imperial guard army from a Shrine World likely have... only one really came to mind for me.

The Sisters had not received much love... and with their WD codex release, really have not had anything added to them.  But something about them just makes it love at first site for my army.

Being able to throw some ladies into a Rhino or two... not to mention several decent close combat units.. I say hell yes.  The Emperor Wills It!.

Several of my friends have mentioned using Inquisition and Grey Knights, and they made some compelling points.  Honestly though, I don't think it fits as well... especially since Sisters are more common, and are not specifically focused on any one type of enemy.

I just don't fight demons enough to warrant taking a unit of the Knights.

So, needless to say I intend to slowly start building up an army of them.  Only one thing will keep it slow.

$$$$$$$$

With a blister of three of them costing nearly 20 bucks... Having a squad of them would run me as much as a battleforce in near any army.  

With my other ideas still in the works, this could take some time... but eventually it will turn into a very flavorful army.

Test Construction; Engineer Part 1

The heads and bodies arrived quicker then I thought they would.  With a little trimming down, I started putting a couple of them together.

I made a kneeling one and an advancing one. 

From this picture, it does not look too bad.

Front and center

The goal is to use as many GW/FW bits as possible.  This way when tournaments come, I will not have much griping from others.  

Originally I was considering using some new arms I have seen previewed from Victoria Lamb... but I have since decided against that.

I do not want the engineers to have the huge Cadian shoulder pads.  Instead I intend to mold layered armored plates along the shoulders.  

As far as arms go... I am considering a couple of options.

A: Empire Repeater

B: Scout Marine Shotgun

The last option I have thought of, is trying to convert my own like I did for the Grenade Launchers.  Of the above two choices, I am leaning more toward the Empire Repeater.  The only downside to it, is that it is a rather large gun.

Project Ideas... plans for 2012, 2013

The Plan...

When I started this army, I always had the goal of making it Apoc. scale.  Whether this was because of the Spirits I was drinking at the time I thought it up, or the fact I just really love converting hundreds of troopers... who is to say.

As my latest batch of the needed Men at Arms heads is incoming from England, I consider the new platoon I will be making.  Will I abuse more Cadian legs and make them like my original platoon, or will I say forget it and just go the easy route?  

Added to this the many beautiful ideas that have come to mind, both in expanding beyond just the infantry, and into specialists and terrain.

New Units

Engineering Squads

As I looked over the Siege Army list that Forgeworld so happily provides for easy download.  I looked over the Troop Choice;  Engineers.  I love these guys, for the simple reason of being unusual.

Sure, they are pretty much just veterans with some special gear.  The personality of them made me think of making up my own.  I did not want to make them just a carbon copy of my previous regular infantry... I want to make the different and more archaic looking.

Enter some Empire Bits, and some new heads from Puppet Wars.

It is a rough idea, and one that will likely change as I receive the actual bits and see how they look together.  Greenstuffing a few armor plates on Cadian legs will be pretty easy I think.

Add to this the fact that buying some Hades Breaching drills from Forgeworld would take me awhile, this may be a project for Next year at some point.  Depending on whether or not I find semi-permanent work in the school system.

Cavalry

While I have actually put together a unit of Rough Riders... I find that they really look out of place with the army I have right now.  Whether it is the paint scheme or just the use of Wargs as mounts I am unsure.

My painting skills are not what I would like for the appearance of my army.  But without winning the lotto, I am unlikely to be able to pay someone to do it for me.  

Whatever I do, I intend to have at least two more squads of riders... even if it means using Simple Green to strip the paint and go with a different color scheme I like better.

Terrain

The ideas I had for terrain came from my great interest in World War I and II, and what various governments tried to do to protect themselves.   France created the Maginot Line, what they considered to be the greatest line of fortifications built specifically to stop invasion from the East.  It did not work of course, but it was an impressive feat of engineering to build.

What would go into such a design in the world of 40k?  How many big guns, how many small guns?  How big of a table would it cover?  And finally, how modular could I make it?

To start, you must have THE BIG GUNS!

Imperial Defense Laser

Ever since seeing various WIP of others, I have been fascinated by the idea of making a Defense Laser.  Not just to use it with the datasheet, but to have a cool bit of terrain to fight over as an objective.  

Thanks to me having time around the house, I have been working on many in-home remodeling projects.  With left over pipes, and various bits lying around... and a small hamster ball from years ago, I think I can do it.

Mid-Range Guns

Next up I would like to get a hold of a couple of these bad boys... to cover the mid range guns of the Line.  These are made by the proprietor of IronHands.com... the site even has some great "how to" guides for other terrain pieces I may just use someday.

Not only do they fit the theme of a line of big guns, but they just look fantastic.

Other bits and bullets

Not everything is a big gun, so of course smaller weapon emplacements, barricades, and trenches will be in order.  The only difficulty I see in all of this is length of time it would take, and how easy it will be to make on a limited budget.

I will be doing further research on the actual historical Maginot Line itself... to see what really went into it.  That way I don't go too crazy and just make a line of Battle cannon towers everywhere.

In summation... after a little bit of run-on

Goals for this year and most of next (Barring the end of the world... or the Emperor getting off the Throne)

Engineer troopers x 20+

Rough Riders x 20+

Regular Infantry x 50+

Defense Laser (Definately)

Other Stuff for the line (Maybe.. depending on time and resources)

This would bring my total Infantry force to around 200... just out of Regular Guardsmen.  

Who they are

Who are they?

Gallaya

Gallaya has been a part of the Imperium for untold generations. It holds a stance of both religious fervour and industrial focus.  As a Shrine world, the Imperial Church holds great power, but provides comfort to the population regularly toiling in the modest industrial concerns of the world.

When first found during the Emperors glorious crusade, Gallaya had fallen back into what could have been considered Feudal culture.  In the proceeding millenniums there have been some advancements, but the social order which had gained power refused to surrender completely.  For this reason, there is a great deal of power in both the church, and the nobility of the world... while the general population scrapes by.

On one of the few beautiful days... faith shines for Gallayans

Thanks to the ever increasing demands for materials throughout the imperium, Gallaya exports most of the industrial products they make.  Light vehicles, weapons, machinery parts, and raw materials all flow from this modest world.  With the constant lack of machinery due to these demands, the regiments have learned to go without.

Endlessly surrounded by the ceaseless canopy of smog and pollution, the world has few areas which can be considered for good farming.  Only in the northernmost tracts of land can even the most basic crops grow.  These are enough to sustain much of the population, but do not really prepare them for droughts or other food shortages.

In response to a massive drought in the early part of the 41st millennium, the church and planetary lords chose to mandate compulsory military service, off-world.  Dozens of regiments were raised in the course of the following years, and the population saw some relief from the endless food shortage which had hit their world.  From time to time, this regimental tithe has been increased as the need arose.  The influx of new regiments has been helpful during several recent campaigns throughout the current millennium

The Martial Tradition

From the time he is first able to walk, a child of the nobility is taught the honored traditions of his predecessors.  Any Gallayan who is unable to show expertise with at least one combat weapon is considered practically worthless... and shunned among open society.  

This tradition continues today even among the lower populations.  While the food shortages are less common, it is considered a great opportunity to be considered for the regiments... both for the families and the communities of the child.  So, many peasant children are schooled in the rudiments of combat if their families can afford it.  Those that cannot usually find themselves watching their child enter one of the many "training cadres"  

"Training Cadres" are little more then violent groups of bandits that prey upon others.  While this is a less reputable way to learn the martial traditions, in some Counties and Baronies they are allowed to act... as long as they provide a steady stream of recruits to the regiments.  

The wrap-up... turns 4 and 5

When I began the apoc game against Justin, I had a substantial army of footslogging.  By the end of turn 3, I was down to barely 2 dozen infantry on the ground, with the rest sitting in a super heavy transport... scared to death to leave it.  My command squad still had full count, but otherwise I had ten men remaining on my left flank, with another half dozen in the center.  While this still left me with scoring units... I had mostly ignored the really important objectives.

The last two turns saw me regain my focus.  Also, by this time in the night, we had neglected to take any real pictures, which is a shame.  My apologies for the boring walls of text.

Turn 4

Tyranid Turn

This turn found the tyranid forces losing a lot of focus, they had few controlling creatures to keep the little and big guys in line.

With the game winding down, Justin gained vengeance for what little damage I had done to his Carnifex brood. In rapid succession he obliterated all six of the hellhounds without even breaking a sweat, I was an idiot in the fact that I had mistakenly combined them together (Not my brightest moment).

 His massive Hyradul and two other monsters turned toward the center to finish off the troopers.  Luckily they were unable to reach assault range this turn.  The shooting downed another lascannon team though, and brought a structure point down on the Baneblade.

Imperium Turn

My turn saw more fire then movement.

Ignoring the impending doom that was coming down the line, I turned the massive gun of the Baneblade upon a pile of gaunts that had been sitting on an objective all game.  With an explosive blast, 19 of the little beasts exploded in fire... but still seven remained.  Remaining fire from the turrets of the massive tank opened up on the incoming beasts to the side.  That fire brought a wound on the Hyradul, and another on one of the Carnifex beasts. The lone lascannon fired and failed to wound... a poor and final showing.

The two Leman Russ opened up on the same pile, finally bringing it down.  One less objective for the Tyranids.

The lone squad on the left flank fired upon and killed the last Lictor, finally clearing the area.

The Fires of Retribution opened up on what little was left, finishing off some scatterings of creatures.  This left almost no Synaps creatures on the board... which made my final turn considerably easier.

There was very little effective fire from my naval support this turn.  A few gaunts killed, but little else.  The rules of Lascannon missing or failing to wound had caught up at last.

Turn 5

Tyranid turn

The Hyradul charged home... the last two structure points from the mighty Baneblade, leaving it a wreck.  The damage had been done though... there was little left of the gaunts holding an objective in the center on his side of the board.  They had been getting picked apart throughout the last couple of turns.  Planes would no doubt eliminate them at last on my turn.

Instead, he focused on doing what damage he could. The Screamer Killer charged the remnants of the center platoon, killing every man.  Leaving only the command squad as the lone meat in the middle.

The remainder of the carnifex force that came in could not reach anyone else before the game ended... so he left them to their own devices.

Imperial Turn

The lone squad on the left ran forward to try and reach a middle objective... but missed it by easily 6 inches. Can't blame a guy for trying.  

The Pathfinders finally decided to get out of the tank, and marched to the lone objective as The Fires of Retribution turned the mega-bolters upon the Hyradul and put all power to weapons.  In a hail of gunfire the Hyradul ignored all but two of the seven wounds it recieved.  

The two thunderbolts and two vendeta gunships decided they had enough, and finished the monster off.  

Meanwhile, both Valkyries rained rocket pod fire down upon the remaining gaunts on the lone held Tyranid objective.  Despite surviving most of that fire, they finally were brought down.  

Thus, the Imperium was victorious... it just was real close.

Total Objectives in game: 6

Total Tyranid Held: 0

Total Imperial Held: 1

Conclusion... Airpower and Numerous scoring units make a differance.

I had always been a lover of the Super Heavy vehicles... but in spite of the points they were, they did not do an incredible amount of damage.  The planes on the other hand slaughtered much of the Tyranid army, with little response in kind.  Which leads me to a thought...

Everyone else has flyers galore these days... what about the Tyranids?  One flyer on his side of the board could have made a big difference, because it would have wounds instead of armor... I would have had to focus a lot on killing it.

Turns 2 and 3

Turn two.

Tyranids

With the disruption beacon a memory, the coming turn began exactly as I expected.  Monstrous creatures dropping right in on the flank near the only super heavy vehicle I had fielded. 

• ·         The Tyranid movement phase had the chittering mass moving forward, which brought most of the line into firing range.  Meanwhile a pair of Mawlocs and a pair of Lictors landed right on my left flank surrounding The Fires of Retribution. Add to this a pair of Zoanthropes and I felt that I could kiss my big tank good by.
• ·         In the center a Trygon dug up from the ground, unleashing a flood of Raveners behind it through the tunnel, spraying acidic death into the center line troops.  Another half dozen were slaughtered in quick order as they melted from the bio weapons.
• ·         The Mawlocs and Zoanthropes unleashed hell upon the super heavy… destroying the main cannons, and damaging the drive train.  A catastrophic blast brought her down to a single structure point… but otherwise she held fast with her cargo of veteran pathfinder infantry (Veterans)
• ·         In all, with the combined fire from the massive Hyradul and the rest of the monsters, I lost a good twenty men. 
• ·         In the assault phase, the Raveners charged forward, and stuck in against a blob of 36 infantry, including 6 heavy weapon teams.  Over a dozen guardsmen died, but with Die-Hard… they stayed.  A mere two wounds were their answer in return to the beasts.

Imperium

Platoon... Advance!

At this stage I knew I had to get some of my units moving… the entire right flank began to move up to reach objectives.  Moving all 46 guardsmen forward meant I could potentially keep them out of the next wave of deep strikes, and stick to the task of claiming far off objectives.

"Salvation comes on the wings of eagles"

Really need to finish assembling these planes... eerie without pilots

… or at least it did today.  A full combat force from the engaged navy above dropped from the sky.  They rained hell upon the Tyranid lines.  With lascannons and missiles no mercy was had.

• ·         As the Valkrie and Vendetta transports unloaded a full forty heavily armed stormtroopers in rapid assault… 3 Tervagaunts, The last of the Warriors,  and a score of Gaunts met their end.    The Trygon in the center was obliterated by concentrated twin-linked lascannon fire from two of the Vendetta gunships.

o   Justin was shocked by the ability of the Stormtrooper strike force to fire/move/fire on the turn they drop in.  Which led to heavy casualties on them.

Stormtroopers... they make it happen.

• ·         Meanwhile, in the rear the veterans in The Fires of Retribution unleashed meltaguns into the Mawlocs.  With their combined fire, they brought the monsters down with impressive accuracy.  Secondary fire from the platoon nearby helped to bring down one of the Lictors and a Zoenthrope.
• ·         In my assault phase I brought the captain and his squad into battle against the Raveners… with three power fists in the command squad I had a good chance of turning the tide.   Another dozen guardsmen fell, but six wounds brought down a trio of the creatures.  Again, Die-Hard allowed the units to stick in the fight. 
• ·         Also, on a 4+ I was able to repair the main gun of The Fires of Retribution

Turn 3

• ·         Justin smiled as he brought in his Carnifex’s and second Hyradul right into my moving right flank.  Add to that the Doom of Malenti (Truly hate that thing), and it did not look good.  The remnants of his rear forces turned quickly on the stormtroopers.  I figured with forty of them spread out, I could stand a little attention.
• ·         2 tyrants and rippers came in to reinforce the monsters on the left flank near my damaged super heavy.  I felt I could secure this area thanks to the vets… so I was not worried.  
• ·         In the center a unit of Devil Gaunts jumped out of the hole that the Raveners had come out of.  I dealt with them by using the Ambush strategic asset the vets gave me.  I killed a few of them, but pinned them just as I wanted.

The shooting phase saw the obliteration of 46 brave guardsmen as the combined fire from the Doom, Hyradul, and Dakkafex completely destroyed them.  I know guardsmen die in numbers… but damn that was harsh.

RUN YOU FOOLS... RUN!!

In the rear, despite my own thoughts to the contrary… Justin proceeded to make some great shooting and assault decisions. 

• ·         The Venomthrope focused on one of the stormtrooper squads, destroying them with templates of death. 
• ·         A unit of hormagaunts charged and overwhelmed another unit of the emperors finest.
• ·         Elsewhere, the stormtroopers were brought down by a combination of biovore fire, and lucky assaults by another small unit of Gaunts… that were actually outnumbered as they charged, but managed to not lose more than two models.

All of that turn added up to the greatest bloodbath I had yet seen.  The only shining point to the whole matter was that  elsewhere I was fairing better.

• ·         The captain and his men managed to finally bring down the remaining Raveners, with only a handful of losses.  This left me with the command squad, 2 lascannon teams, and 4 guardsmen.  

Could get messy... bring the flag.

• ·         The left flank met with the loss of another twelve men, but considering the Tyrants and the Ripper swarms incoming, this was not so bad.  I still had the vets.

Imperium turn

With all hell breaking loose around them… the infantry was damn happy to see the armoured company incoming.

The single Baneblade Glory and Purity rolled onto the field flanked by a pair of Leman Russ battle tanks.  On the right flank, two hellstorm squadrons charged forward to try and destroy the monsters feasting on the corpses of the platoon there.   The naval presence, save for the Valkyrie carriers moved to intercept other targets… focusing on more monsters.

• ·         In two torrents of fire, the hellstorm squadrons managed to do some damage to the massive Carnifex group… killing two and even wounding the Hyradul.  It was not nearly enough though… not for the points I spent on them. 
• ·         The lascannons from all across the army and navy fired.  The Venomthrope and Biovores became paste, the Flying Tyrants were destroyed, the Rippers became a memory. 
• ·         The Valkyrie carriers focused on the gaunt troop choices… and killed a few little critters, but not enough yet.
• ·         For as big as it was, the Baneblade did nothing… no wounds… no real damage at all.  It did make a nice big target to focus on though.

The end of the third turn saw me in possession of a single objective, and the Tyranids in possession of two.  

Turn 1 Advancing

As the chittering mass before them began to advance, the grim soldiers shifted in their positions.  The line was strong, but the enemy was larger than many had ever seen.  No Gallayan in memory had ever faced anything like this... the chaplains of the regiment walked the platoon lines, speaking of faith and fire against the enemy.

Captain Borgess looked through the viewer in his hands, and gave the order for the disruptor beacon to turn on.  As the centerpiece of the defensive line, it was depended on to stop any spores from landing nearby.  His men were tough, but still the enemy looked terribly strong.

As the beacon whine into life, a screech of anger rose from the chittering masses... and their wrath was born upon terrible unspeakable projectiles.

Tyranid Turn:

This turn saw movement all along the line, and a single minded focus upon the disruption beacon.  With Justin depending upon half his army being able to land among my troops, he could not take the chance of my rolling a 4+ when they tried... because I could then place them anywhere I wanted.

The gaunt making monstrous creatures doubled the number of tiny little buggers running down the field.  Which gave him more scoring units that needed to die.  The good news was that two of them had rolled doubles, which meant they could do no more like it.

Otherwise, the army just ran forward save for the Gargantuan creature and the biovore shooters.

The beacon was flayed by massive amounts of fire... which admittedly would have otherwise ripped apart a good number of my men.  So, in a way it was alright.

A single lascannon team and a half dozen troopers from 2nd platoon were melted by terrible flesh eating parasites.  Their screams echoed even over the sounds of further incoming fire.  The massive creature, towering over all the others unleashed a torrent of fire, sending the beacon into flames.  As the fire rose, Borgess screamed out...

"Hold together, bring that bastard down!"

Imperial Turn

Every heavy gun I had was thrown into the mass of unholy beasts.  The Fires of Retribution put all power to the main guns, and unleashed a torrent of bug killing fire into the Tervigons.  One was brought down easily despite a rather severe lack of accuracy. 20% hitting was not good at all.

The 8 remaining lascannons unloaded into the Heiradul...and it laughed... LAUGHED, as six hit and only three wounded.

In response, I called down the scheduled bombardment,  while not effectively placed... it still hit the Hive tyrant and his guard.  Two guards killed and a wound on the tyrant.  

The Master of Ordnance unloaded a shot into a group of warriors... and tore them apart.  Most accurate shooting ever from one of them.  

As the turn came to an end I looked at the side table... with all those nasty blue monsters.

If my soldiers did not have Die Hard... several would have made a run for it after the shooting, or been pinned.

Next Turn:  All hell breaks loose... on the ground and in the sky.

The Tyranids, and the Terrain

Starting on the Board

Tervigon    (catalyst, toxin sacs, adrenal glands)
Tervigon    (catalyst, toxin sacs, adrenal glands)
Tervigon    (catalyst, toxin sacs, adrenal glands)
hormagaunts x30( adrenal glands)
Venomthrope    

Tyranid Prime (lashwhip/bone sword, deathspitter)
Warriors x7     (scything talons, 6x deathspitter, venom cannon)
Tyrannofex      (bioacid spray, Regeneration)
Biovore x3 

Barbed Heiradule  

Hive Tyrant  (lashwhip/bone sword, Armored shell, Heavy Venom Cannon)
Tyrant Guard x2   (lashwhips)
Hive Guard x4      

Reserve 1:Trygon                  

Raveners x4          (spine fists, rending claws)
 Raveners x4         (spine fists, rending claws)
Subterranean swarm formation

Zoenthropes x2       (meteoric spore)
Lictors x2               
Mawloc                 

Mawloc        

Reserves 2:Doom of Malentai      (Meteoric spore)
Crusher Carnifex x2   (crushing claws, scything talons)
screameer killer carnifex x3   (scything talons x2, adrenal glands, frag spines)
Dakafex        (twin linked devourers x2)
Scything Heiradule
Mycetic assault storm formation  
Flyrant      (Wings, bone sword/lash whip, twin linked devourers)
Flyrant      (wings, scything talons x2)
Devilgaunts x20   (Devourers)
Ripper swarm x9   (tunneling)

The Battlefield



The board was huge, but surprisingly not as big as I expected for 7000+ each.  Of course, I had a lot more models to place first...or perhaps he was just more experienced in placing quickly.  The Tyranids got first turn.

The beast comes

The number of massive creatures Justin was able to bring to the table worried me.  I may field a good number of lascannons... but nothing like this.  My first turn was going to be hell.

Take your positions!

With over 120 infantry and the Defensive Lines strategic asset at my disposal.. I had the numbers.  It did not hurt that The Fires of Retribution was present on the flank near one of the crystal objectives.  I also had the Disruption beacon... which would make any deepstriking units he had have a difficult time reaching me.



Blood and Snow: Apoc

“Fear not death, for your souls are already the Emperors!” –Lord Comissar Lucas Marin ;12^th Gallayan Rifles

Incharus

        

Incharus was an insignificant world for millennia.  It was a small backwater colony that had the single distinction of being nearly as cold and miserable as a Valhalan summer home.  It was not until the dawn of the 41^st millennium that the worth of the world was realized.

                Massive seismic quakes unearthed a large series of crystal caverns.  As the crystals caught the weak sunlight of the planets old star, the crystals somehow pulsed with energy.  This energy became focused, and coalesced in the warp surrounding the world…and Incharus became noticed.  Thousands of light years away, a power stirred in its inexorable journey.  The devourer was hungry.

                Scientists, psyichics, inquisitors came to the system, trying to learn what these strange crystals were, and how they could be used if possible.  An imperial military presence was mustered to look after the garrisoning of the world… for it was not heavily populated.  Two regiments from the nearby system of Gallaya were dispatched, and an armored regiment from the far off Petuxan cluster of worlds as well.  Added to this, a contingent of Stormtroopers was dispatched.   

                As the 41^st Millenium dragged on, the research and questioning of the crystals grew ever more.  Psychics felt the warp stronger than ever before within the presence of them, and found the risk of mishap lessened.  Laser cutters could do nothing against them, and often found their power drained.  And still, the crystals pusled… never ceasing.

Until the shadow fell…

   When the first crystals ceased pulsing, the minds of four psychics burst before the eyes of their overseers.  Their eyes crying blood as they screamed out for the few seconds they had left alive.

   Communications with the orbiting squadron led by the Battlecruiser Sullian became difficult.  The daily routines of the regiments suddenly changed... chaos perhaps... orks... maybe.  Nothing could have prepared them for the nightmare.

  As the riflemen of the Gallayan regiments took to their positions, the first spores fell.  The fires in the sky spoke of the devastation that was coming.

Conversions I have done... little bits here and there.

I am trying to be a bit more ambitious with my conversions these days... I have some big ideas in my head.  The money and time are not there yet, so keeping with the small at the moment.

Lieutenant Baeddan

As I am starting my fourth platoon, I find myself with a need for another ranking officer.

I lucked out at my local game stop this evening.  Found myself the Aquila Pilot from the old Battle for Macragge set.  I thought to myself, this here is a man with a dynamic pose.  How can I make him even better, and keep with the unique look for my officers?

With some creative cutting, and just a little pro-create, I started seeing what I was looking for. He needs a little more sprucing up, but otherwise he looks pretty good.  The angle makes my guy look a bit on the fat side... but oh well.

Sergeant Pembroke and Specialist Taran

When I first saw the Vostroyan models, I did fall in love with them.  Sadly... it was not to be.  But I do occasionally luck out and find a couple here and there for a good price.

I did not think I needed snipers back in the beginning. 

So instead, I just decided to do some creative arm changing.

• Sergeant Pembroke is using a Cadian Command bionic arm, and a Forgeworld upgrade laspistol.

• Specialist Taran is using a Space Marine Plasma Gun.

Strangely enough, the Vostroyan models actually fit in rather well with my army theme.  Still don't think I will buy many of these guys due to costs, but this was a nice addition.

More to come as the weekend is now upon us.

Sergeant Roland, and Gearing up

While I still lack the arms for my troopers at the moment (E-bay will provide), I have taken the time to paint up Sergeant Roland.  As with the rest of my army, he could use some touching up to look a bit less... cruddy.

When I originally painted him, I had left the pants primed, but my wife looked at them and said there was just too much gray in the model.  Having her say that made me look back at all of my troopers... and damn it all she is right.  Too much gray... needs a little more color.  Of course, that color is off-brown, but what do you expect from me.  I love me some brown.

Equipping the Troops

As I looked over the colors of my men, I also noticed a distinct lack of gear.  For soldiers who were intended to carry everything across the no-mans land with them... they were profoundly naked.  So, I dug into the bits bin I had collected and started actually using all those small cadian extras.

Slapping on a canteen/ammo/bayonet pack and the upgrade backpack really adds some weight to this poor fellow.  The grenade launcher troops are getting weighed down with grenades as well.

The Regiments assemble

With the great devourer coming, no single force could hope to stand... thus the full might of the Imperium must be brought forth- Lieutenant Denora, 1st platoon, 5th company, 15th Gallayan Rifles

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With the coming game, I was forced to talk to a few friends of mine.  One of them, Sean has a pretty substantial Space Wolves army (10,000+ points).  He also has some heavy vehicles I knew I would need for this game.  So in his kindness, he let me borrow some planes and super heavies... in exchange for pictures of the battle. 

I get by with a little help from my friends luckily.

This army list is split into 3 sections. 

• First is the Patuxan Armoured Reserve, filled with some of Seans vehicles.  Since the Gallayan regiments have few real heavy armour, they often depend on outside regiments for support.
• Next is the Holy Fleet contingent, supported from orbit by the Cruiser Sullian, which provides a small contingent of Stormtroopers for special operations.
• Lastly are the bodies of the Gallayan infantry.  A full company takes the field, supported by a platoon of pathfinders.  In all... scoring units will not be in small supply.  This force uses the siege regiment rules... which makes them a little more dangerous in a hand to hand fight.

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37th Patuxan Armoured Reserve

Hellhound Squadrons X2             

Stormlord armored Transport: 540 Pts

Baneblade Heavy Tank (Commissariat Upgrade):

2 Lemon Russ Battle Tanks (Lascannon/H Bolters)

Sullian Aerial Support Strike Force

Stormtrooper Strike Force

                3 Vendetta Gunships

·         2 Heavy Bolter Sponsons             

                2 Valkyrie Assault Flyers                               

·         Multiple Rocket Pods

·         Heavy Bolter Sponsons

      Lascannon replaces Multi-laser

4 Stormtrooper Squads                                                

2 Thunderbolt Fighters with all upgrades              

Gallayan Regimental Infantry

3rd Pathfinders (1st Platoon:  The Blue Dogs)

                3 Veteran Infantry Squads w/ 3 Meltaguns

                2 Special Weapon Squads w/ 3 Meltaguns

15th Gallayan Rifle Regiment; 5th Rifle Company

Command Squad:

·         Regimental Standard

·         Captain with Powerfist

·         Imperial Artillery Officer

·         Grenade Launcher

1st Platoon (The Ladies Own)

·         Lieutenant with Powerfist and Plasma Pistol

·         4 Grenade Launchers

4 Squads with Plasma Rifles

·         2 blob squads of 20 men each

2nd Platoon (The Old Dogs)

·         Lieutenant with Power Sword and Bolt Pistol

·         3 Meltaguns

3 Squads with Plasma Rifles

·         1 Blob squad of 20 men, 1 stand alone squad

3rd Platoon (The Bayonet Brigade)         

3 Squads, Plasma Rifles

·         Blob squad of 20 men and 10 men stand alone.

·         2 Bolt Pistols

3 Lascannon Squads

Quartermaster Squad

4 Priests                              

2 Lord Commissars         

·         1 with 2 Power Fists       

·         1 With Power Sword      

2 Batteries field artillery 

·         1 Battery Thudd Guns

·         1 Battery H. Mortar

                                               

                                               

WIP Bits and Pieces

As I began this project, I had wanted to keep the units pretty uniform.  But resources did not always provide that opportunity,  So, after the first platoon, I found myself needing to scavange bits from other areas.

I am rather a stickler for having individuality in my officers.  Thus far I have been able to have each of my sergeants and lieutenants looking differant, with a little personality.  As the bits became more... scarce I looked through my tossed aside bretonnians.  Sergeant Roland here has my last Cadian officers body, and a Bretonnian knights head. 

I am still trying to get my camera to work with me... so pictures are all over the place.  My intent is to have Roland carrying a Welsh flag into battle, with a Power Fist.  This may take a little work.

More Bretonnian than Empire

With a ton of Men at Arms bodies lying around, I started to use them in my units.  The look is a bit differant, but it works.  The visual I have been getting in my mind these days is a regiment that is gathered from all over the world of Gallaya.  They bring their own customs and ideas... and the uniforms represent this in a way.

This trooper comes from the northern continents of Gallaya, which forces thicker layers upon the population.  When the Emperor called him, he brought his culture with him into the regiment.

Many squads in the regiment are working toward mixing the differant cultural groups, to make the regiment work more efficiently. 

Many heads and bodies

There are many heads out there, and to give a little more individuality to some units I started using them.

Side by side the differances are not too bad.  In a firing line I think the troopers will work well in appearance.  The finished products have gotten some good praise from several guys at the gaming store.

As regiments that constantly battle in endless wars of attrition, sometimes troopers are not able to get the medical care quickly before the next fight.  Many soldiers in the regiment have injuries like the trooper on the left.  A head from the Bretonnian Archers sprue

Two troopers made completely from Bretonnians... all that remains is to give the boys some arms.  As I have run out of Cadian legs, I have decided that some quartermaster resources just... ran out. 


More tomorrow.  Including the army list for the Apoc Game.