MOAR Epic Assault Marines, and a cautionary tale.
Another Assault Formation for my teaching Epic list. Note the gray for the 8th company. Only a Warlord Titan and five Land Speeders to go!
And now, a cautionary tale about stripping. As you read in the previous post, I primed the Land Speeders poorly and had to strip them. The Pine Sol mixture, combined with the fresh primer, made the primer into a vile black oil. I suggest to all who strip recently primed minis: wait a day for the primer to cure completely. The oil comes off with soap, but it takes a lot of scrubbing.
Back in the Saddle Again
These have been half-painted, but the recent visit from people from Spain put all my painting on hold. Now I can start painting again.
With this Terminator formation with Chaplain finsihed, all I need is 5 land speeders, another Assault formation, and a Warlord Titan to complete my 3000 pt. teaching list. Next is the Assault formation. It WOULD have been the Land Speeders, but high humidity marshmallowed them during priming, and they are currently in a Pine Sol bath. I will prime everything else in my dad’s darkroom, like I did during the winter.
Azure Flames vs. WAAAAGH! Smartyskull! 1850pts
Wait, what? How can I fight myself? Easy, by having others do the fighitng for me.
Above, Hector and Dario (mentioned previously on Four Strands) at Pandemonium Games in Garden City. Here’s the lists:
Hector: WAAAAGH! Smartyskull! 1850 pts
-Big Mek, KFF, Burna, Attack Squig, ‘eavy armor.
-Nobs x8, Painboy, Grot Orderly, 2x Big Choppas, 3x PKs, WAAAAGH Banner, Eavy Armor
-Battlewagon, Deff Rolla, 3x Big Shootas
-Boyz x12, stikkboms, big shoota, Nob, PK, Bosspole in a Trukk, red paint job, armor plates, reinforced ram.
-Boyz x12, stikkboms, big shoota, Nob, PK, Bosspole in a Trukk, red paint job, armor plates, reinforced ram.
-Boyz x12, stikkboms, big shoota, Nob, PK, Bosspole in a Trukk, red paint job, armor plates, reinforced ram.
-Boyz x12, stikkboms, big shoota, Nob, PK, Bosspole in a Trukk, red paint job, armor plates, reinforced ram.
-Looted Wagon, Reinforced Ram, Big Shoota
-Tankbusta Boys x12, Nob, PK, Bosspole, 3 Bombsquigs, 2 Tankhammas
-Warbikers x8, Nob, PK, Bosspole
Dario: Azure Flames 1850pts
-Zeraf Antonius (Cato Sicarius)
-Assault Terminators x5, THSS
-Dedicated Land Raider Crusader, Multi-melta
-Tactical Squad x10, Power Fist, Bolter-Flamer, Flamer, Missile Launcher in a Rhino with extra armor.
-Tactical Squad x10, Power Fist, Bolter-Flamer, Flamer, Missile Launcher in a Drop Pod.
-Ironclad Dreadnought with Heavy Flamer, Hurricane Bolter, Ironclad launchers in a Drop Pod.
-Dreadnought, 2x TL Autocannons
-Scouts x5, Power Fist
-Land Speeder Storm, HB
-3x Land Speeder Tornadoes, MM/HF
Mission: Annnhilation (Kill points), Setup: Dawn of War (table halves)
Setup: Hector won setup roll, deployed 2 boyz squads in trukks in the center of the board. Dario placed a tactical squad in a building. Sicarius’ special rule gave this tatsquad Counter Charge, which came in handy! Dario did not sieze the initiative, so Hector went first.
Above: the setup.
Dario’s tatsquad in the building.
Turn 1: Hector
Hector moved up with one trukk near the building and got the squad of orks out. The other trukk moved up and tried to shoot, foiled by night-fight. The squad of orks got a lucky pistol shot and killed a Space Marine!
Turn 1: Dario
Dario moved his tactical squad up and out of the building (mostly). Dual flamer fire from the sergeant and regular flamer, along with bolters, lowered the ork squad size to 5. Orks failed their morale check, but passed after a bosspole re-roll kills another ork. Ironclad dread came down, but a bad scatter moved it away from the trukk. It failed to do damage with its hurricane bolters.
4 orks left after the Bosspole re-roll.
Too far for a flamer!
Turn 2: Hector
Battlewagon, another trukk, and the looted wagon full of tankbustas come on. Tankbustas move 13″ toward the Ironclad. Wagon moves up 13″, Trukk 19″ keeping close enough for the KFF cover save. Orks get out of trukk by Ironclad dread and move toward the Rhino. Trukk tries to ram Ironclad against my STRONG OPINION. The trukk is smashed by a Death or Glory attack. Remaining 4 orks charge the Tactical Squad, which counter-charges. Marines win combat by 3, orks break and are run down. Marines consolidate towards the Rhino.
Turn 2: Dario
Sicarius, Terminators, and Land Raider drive on behind the Rhino, and the Land Speeders show up. Land Speeders fry an ork squad down to 3, which passes its check. Land Raider guns don’t do much to a trukk. Marines enter Rhino. Ironclad moves up to shoot orks.
End of Turn 2
Land Raider is coming!
These orks keep their cool.
Lots of lads!
Turn 3: Hector
Hector calls the WAAAAGH! Another boys squad in the yellow trukk comes on. Ork squad moves 13″ in trukk, runs 4. Other 3-ork squad moves and runs 6. Battlewagon moves up 13″ but Nobs only run 1… Blue trukk drives away. Tankbustas drive up 13″, run 5″ and assault the Ironclad Dread. Despite the defensive grenades robbing them of their charge bonus, the Tankhammers blow up the Ironclad, and only 4 tankbustas survive! Both orks squads assault the Rhino, and immobilize it.
Turn 3: Dario
Sicarius and his terminators move up, and get out in front of the Nob Squad. Tac squad arrives via Drop Pod behind Battlewagon, but another bad scatter pushes them almost to the board edge. Scouts arrive and move 24″ in Storm. Marines in rhino get out and kill some of the Orks by their Rhino, conveniently hiding in a choke point between the tanks. Storm Bolter on Dreadnought Drop Pod kills one Tankbusta, who make morale check. Land Speeders pepper the Nobs, killing 2 and putting one more wound out. Sicarius and the Terminators charge. 3 terminators die but all of the Nobs except the Big Mek go down. Big Mek flees…2 inches.
End of Turn 3
Whats left after the big fight…
Chokepoint!
Turn 4: Hector
Mek runs…5 more inches. Yellow and blue trukks move up for shots on the land speeders. Squad in yellow trukk jumps out to assault Sicarius and Terminator. 3-ork squad turns around to charge the land speeders. Deff Rolla crushes Sicarius! Terminator survives long enough to be charged by the squad from the yellow trukk, and dies. Massive big shoota fire against the land speeders has no effect. Surviving ork squad charges through the chokepoint, combat drawn. Tankbustas assault the Drop Pod and kill it. Bikes arrive and damage the Land Speeder Storm, removing the Heavy Bolter.
Turn4: Dario
Rifle Dread arrives and kills the remaining Tankbustas. Land Speeders move up and annhilate the Ork squad that killed the Terminator. Tactical Squad moves up and assaults Battlewagon with Krak Grenades, it explodes and 2 marines die. Land Speeder Storm moves another 24″. Three marines die in the assault at the chokepoint, but they don’t flee. Land Raider gives a no shoot result to the blue trukk.
End of Turn 4
There used to be a battlewagon here. Now? Not so much.
Fighting in a chokepoint can get ugly!
Turn 5: Hector
Looted Wagon and surviving trukk move up. All trukks open fire on Land Speeders, one gets a shaken result. Mek continues to flee. Bikes move up 12″ and fire on the fleeing Land Speeder Storm, but only give it one shaken result. Combat in the chokepoint is a draw again. Yellow Trukk, which has a Shaken result, tank shocks the Tactical Squad, does nothing.
Turn 5: Dario
Rifle Dread blasts 2 bikers, who fail their check and flee just to the edge of the board. Land Speeders ineffecually chip at the Looted Wagon and Trukk. Tactical Squad in the chokepoint is reduced to the Sergeant only, who kills all 3 remaining orks! He consolidates into the Rhino. Land Raider kills blue trukk. Tactical Squad perform an AMAZING feat, as they assault the Trukk, which recieves the Trukk “Kareen!” result, Kareens 16″ directly toward the 3-ork squad, and explodes, killing all but the Nob who breaks and flees! Scouts get out and assault the trukk, but whiff on every attack. Game continues to 6th turn.
End of Turn 5.
Warbikers fear the rifle Dread…
Now THAT’S what I call a trick shot! A trukk knocked into an ork squad, exploding, and breaking them!
Turn 6: Hector
Bikes rally, consolidate. Mek runs just shy of the board edge. Looted Wagon and red trukk concentrate fire on land speeders. No effect.
Turn 6: Dario
Rifle Dread kills another 2 bikers, they hold. Land Speeders move 24″ to ensure the Mek runs off the table if there is a turn 7. Land Raider kills Looted Wagon. Scouts kill trukk. Game ends.
End of game.
The only unbroken Ork unit, the bikes, decide it’s not worth it and go home.
Final kill points. Dario (Azure Flames): 13, Hector (Orks): 5. Space Marine Victory!
Hola, muchachos de Espana! (I don’t know how to type the squiggly thing above the n)
Two firsts, right here on Four Strands! Our first international game, and our first Space Hulk post! My family’s friends from Spain arrived yesterday, and it turns out they play Warhammer!
Hector Rueda, pictured above, plays Skaven for Warhammer Fantasy, and borrows a friend’s army to play Chaos Daemons in 40K. His younger brother Dario doesn’t play but collects and paints various GW minis.
Their mom forbade them from playing video games for more than an hour, so I broke out Space Hulk. Hector and Dario played mission 1, Hector as Space Marines. He was doing well, but got too close to several intersections and let the genestealers jump him. It went downhill from there. Dario emerrged victorious, but then retired due to traveling fatigue.
Hector and I elected to play mission 2, him as Space Marines. Yes, Space Hulk fans, THAT mission 2. The one that is near goddamn impossible against a good Space Marine player.
Above, see our setup. THSS Sergeant is on the extreme left, regular Terminators in the gray and green rooms. Chainfist Termie in the red room near the top right, Assault Cannon near the lower right.
Turn 1 Terminators: Hector moved the assault cannon up, looking down the hallway towards the (not pictured) genestealer entry point. Chainfist guy ripped down a door to come join him. The two regular marines moved to the left side of the board to support the sergeant.
Turn 1 Genestelers: I brought a 3 blip on, down by the assault cannon, and another 3 on the other side. Both blips moved up and hid.
Turn 2 Terminators: Hector moved the assault cannon up and went on overwatch, chainfist broke another door. Used a lot of points both turns to get chainfist up to the other red room. THSS Sergeant advanced, one Terminator looked down hall on overwatch.
Turn 2 Genestealers: I brought on a 1 and a 3 near the assault cannon. The blip already on the board revealed as 3, and ran up the hallway on top in the picture. 3 blip moved up behind the other 3 ‘stealers. Lone blip up by the THSS just advanced and hid.
Turn 3 Terminators: Assault cannon moves up, turns, and opens the door. Chainfist moves up behind him on overwatch. THSS sergeant approaches a corner around which the lone blip is hiding. Other termies move up on overwatch.
Turn 3 Genestealers: Drew a 1 and a 3, put both by the THSS. A genestealer pops out, takes an overwatch and regular shot from the assault cannon (he spent a point). It lives through both and eats the asscan for breakfast. It has just enough movenent to get right next to Chainfist. All the other ‘stealers move up behind him, ensuring swift doom for the chainfist guy. Blips by THSS move up, one reveals as 3 and they hide around corners and behind doors.
Turn 4 Terminators: THSS moves up, smacks a ‘stealer to death, goes on guard with points. Other termie moves up just far enough to see a ‘stealer and kills it with the free bolter shot you get while moving. Doesn’t have points for overwatch.
Turn 4 Genestealers: Drew two 1s, placed by THSS side. Swarm of stealers eat chainfist guy and move up as fast as genestealers can. Another stealer pops out and eats the guy who got the lucky shot last turn.
Turn 5 Terminators: Last regular termie moves up, kills a ‘stealer, and goes on overwatch. THSS sergeant moves up, attacks a ‘stealer, and dies.
Turn 5 Genestealers: Because the termie on overwatch is only looking one direction, a stealer pops out from the other way and kills him. See the pic below!
Result: Genestealer victory!
Analysis: Hector isn’t very experienced at Space Hulk, and it shows because he went OFF GUARD with the THSS sergeant. Never go off Guard unless genestealers are 6 or more spaces away. He also looked down the smaller hallway with the Assault Cannon. Correct procedure is move asscan down the hall, with another marine at the junction on overwatch. This would allow 3 spaces between ‘stealer and Termie, not one.
Look forward to a 40K or Gothic battle report with Hector sometime soon!
EDIT: Had another Space Hulk match with Hector, this time mission 3. The most memorable part was the last Terminator, the Assault Cannon which was completely out of ammo, going toe-to-toe with waves of ‘stealers. Look at this pile of bodies!
6th Edition 40K? A look into the future?
For those who haven’t read BOLS’ rumors on 6th edition, here it is: http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?t=15933&page=12
Big Changes:
-Squad “leaders” are now more important. Various tests are taken with their characteristics. If a squad doesn’t have a leader in their entry, like Necron Warriors, the owning player picks one. ICs become the “leader” of a squad if they join. So my history of killing the Sergeant of my regular Terminators is over? Do I have to buy him a chainfist?
-Models can only make one armor save normally, or two in certain situations. Will massed fire become much more important? We shall see what these vague, incomplete sentences mean.
-Most universal special rules now have a level in parentheses, such as Feel no Pain (1). Higher levels are better, or ignore opposing special rules of lower levels. Rock on.
-All of the things that a unit can do are spelled out clearly (according to this guy) and make sense.
-Units have actions they can do in the appropriate phase.
-Units have reactions they can do whenever the right situation permits, like shooting back when getting shot at.
-Terrain rules are slightly different and look like they make more sense.
-There are 5 phases now! Preparation, movement, assault, shooting, and consolidation. Splits certain parts of the turn into places that make the turn make more sense. Hopefully will not be confusing for older players.
-Everything wounds on a 6 if it didn’t wound before. Beware flashlights, Wraithlords!
-Wound allocation says “wound against majority,” and there are “armor groups” which I hope means different types of save. Looks like a modified version of the 4th ed wound allocation. There are also “directed wounds” allocated by the enemy. Snipers get one of every two wound “directed” so sniper scouts and ratlings could make a comeback.
-Cover saves are nerfed and depend on squad leaders. Confusingly worded here, I bet it’s explained with a picture in the 6th ed book.
-To hit is different and can be modified! Squee!
-PISTOLS HAVE AN EFFECT IN CC! They are a CCW, OR you can use their strength instead of yours, but gain no bonus from an additional CCW. AP 1 2 or 3 pistols gain Rending (2) in CC! Plasma pistols will make a comeback!
-Blast templates now determine cover without LOS, which makes sense.
-Vehicle damage is changed. Language is confusing, but it looks like there are no more positive modifiers.
-Vehicles in a squadron treat immobilized as a weapon destroyed as long as they have weapons left. This fixes a big problem in vehicle squadrons.
-Looks like buildings might be used often. There are rules for shooting and ramming a building.
-Flyers! Flyers have to move straight and then can turn up to 45 degrees. Hard to hit, and cal always shoot all their guns. Can “change” into a fast skimmer and back.
-Blast weapons get “instant death” against swarms!
-All missions are now about “victory points.” Not the old victory points mind you.
-You get 1 for every tank, walker, IC, MC, or squad leader killed.
-You get 2 if a non-scoring unit holds an objective during your preparation phase.
-You get 3 if a scoring unit holds an objective during your preparation phase.
-Players get strategy points to spend to modify the mission. They can place automatic guns, change the way Reserves work, change night fighting or terrain, or other stuff. You can re-roll one failed roll during the game for each strategy point unspent. Strategy points can also be spent to go first.
-There are also narrative objectives that you and an opponent can choose to use! Hooray for variety!
-Apocalypse rules included! Permission only? Who knows?
Looks like they’re changing the game up. Adding more complexities while streamlining old ones. I’m optimistic.
On my plate: 6-22-11
Hoo boy. Getting laid off and finishing a school year takes more time that you’d think. Plus intruders from Spain are visiting and my ability to paint or model will be nonexistent. However, I’m getting back in the saddle. With a little help from Forge World. So, without further ado, here’s what I’m going to be working on.
-Azure Flames: Twin Linked Autocannon from Forgeworld. I USED to have a left and a right to do a Rifledread. This has somehow changed. I lost the right TL Autocannon, and had to buy another from Forgeworld. Priority one: Get this done by July 8th. Why? I have no idea. I’m certainly not taking a rifledread in a 40K game against Lexington.
-Epic 40,000: Finish Terminators. I’ve got some basecoated, but I ran out of free time while working on them. They’re next. Then I fill out the rest of my 3000 pt. “teaching list.” Then, strip my Great Gargant and paint 3000 pts of Orks.
-Warmachine: Menoth starter box after Epic. ON HOLD.
-Necromunda: Delaque gang. ON HOLD.
-Azure Flames: I recently bought 5 Maximus armour Marines from Forge World. I’m going to custom-mod these by adding sculpted flames and braziers to them to make the Lightguard: Chapter Master Perseus’ Honour Guard. I’ll never use ’em but they’ll look FANTASTIC. I’ve also got a few plans for another famous Azure Flames character… Status: ON HOLD. The Flames are complete enough for now.
-Orks: Need to complete painting all minis, possibly buy one more box of Boys but no more. Status: ON HOLD though I might bump these in front of the Flames now that the weather’s nice.
-The Saratogan 58th: Need to build most of the minis and paint up at least 1500 points to start learning how to play Guard. Status: ON HOLD. Way too much on my plate to start an army from almost scratch.
The Dice Abide
Lexington just clued me into his new communal blog: The Dice Abide. Some good stuff there. I’ve added them to the blogroll. Check it out.
Ory-Hara the Silent, Chief Librarian of the Azure Flames
Modeling
Ory-Hara is the Dark Angels Grand Master Ezekiel model. I added a Xavier backpack, and filed the winged sword off his book and sculpted a flame and a new strap. Ory-Hara is named after the codename your character in Escape Velocity: Nova earns in the Vell-Os or Polaris story lines after developing psychic powers.
Background
During his life, Atrus, former Chapter Master, Chief Librarian, and spiritual mentor of the Azure Flames trusted one person with the secrets of his prophecies. That person was Ory-Hara. The warp is a horrible place, full of things that can drive men mad at a glance. Space Marine Librarians are trained to look into that darkness without flinching. But it takes a prodigy to look through the nightmare of the warp and actually divine the future. Atrus was such a man. There were things that Atrus learned that he shared with the chapter. There were things he shared only with the command staff.
And then there were the things he told to Ory-Hara.
Ory-Hara joined the Azure Flames (then the Sons of the Salamander) just after Atrus earned his Black Carapace and joined the Librarium of the Sons of the Salamander. The chapter liberated Ory-Hara’s world, Palshife, from the forces of Chaos. Ory-Hara felt gratitude toward his liberators, but suffered from the stress of toiling under the whip of the blasphemous regime of Chaos. Atrus noticed the boy’s latent psychic abilities immediately. Despite being the newest Lexicanum, Atrus asked to mentor the young psyker. Atrus slowly won the trust of Ory-Hara, and helped him to unlock and face the memories he had hidden in the darkest places of his mind. Free from his trauma, Ory-Hara’s psychic talents exploded with creativity.
When the Battle Barge His Hammer was destroyed, and Atrus received his vision, Ory-Hara was the first person Atrus told. Ory-Hara was initially reluctant to believe Atrus, but then he discovered something. By touching Atrus’ forehead, he found a way to copy the memory of the vision from Atrus, as if he had experienced it himself. Amazed at this new ability, he was able to immediately show Atrus how to share the vision psychically. Had Ory-Hara not done this, the Azure Flames would have never been born from the remnants of the Sons of the Salamander.
Ory-Hara examined this memory copying ability. His first trick was to copy the memories of a willing battle brother. He was able to expand this ability to find memories without the subject even being aware. Working together with Atrus, he found the ultimate expression of this power: to copy the memories of someone who had recently died. While this talent had limited use, it provided insight into their deaths. Ory-Hara copied the memories of several battle brothers that died.
This led to the current Azure Flames rite to promote a Scout to a full Battle Brother: by sharing the memory of those that died for him. For non-psykers this can be a harrowing and physically dangerous experience, but the fatality rate is only 17%. Before this, Sons of the Salamander Scouts had to travel to Nocturne, home of the Salamanders, and face one of the legendary beasts in the yearly Salamander hunt. This rite had a fatality rate of 32%.
Ory-Hara served in the Librarium of the Azure Flames with distinction, leading up to the conflict for the Chasma Spica. On Iperin, Atrus sent Ory-Hara against the horrific Daemons of Chaos to the south of the main city, Daskros. This was the one time Atrus had kept something back from his most trusted confidant. Had Ory-Hara known of Atrus’ plan to sacrifice himself, he would have demanded to die by Atrus’ side. Being denied the chance to save his only friend, Ory-Hara took a vow of silence.
He has not spoken since. Nor has he written a word outside of his official log, carried on his person at all times.
Lack of communication is a problem in a commander. Ory-Hara explains his wishes through psychic transmissions of images, or emotional impressions. With his extensive library of memories collected from Battle Brothers, he can communicate any thought, tactical or mundane. Ory-Hara has not revealed the contents of his log to any person, save Atrus and Perseus, and then only after Perseus had become Chapter Master.
Ory-Hara leads the Librarium shrouded in secrets. When he passes, his log will be inherited by whichever Librarian takes his place. Then the truth about Antonius, gene-son of Atrus, and his role in the fate of the Chapter will be revealed as Atrus intended.
ALL IMAGE GALLERIES OPEN!
…ok. So I got off my ass and re-sized all of my pics, and then created galleries for all of my projects. Check out:
The Saratogan 58th <—— NOW WITH NEW PICS!
…and last but not least, the archived works of my dear departed Flesh Tearers.
All of the other galleries are right where you left them, check out the Image Galleries link on the right side of this blog.
Azure Flames Image Gallery
…and the hits just keep on coming! Here’s my pride and joy: The Azure Flames. This army got me into gaming, and I owe them all the talent and creativity I’ve developed.