Space Marine Thunder Bolt II aka 'Warthog'

Finally made some progress on my counts as Storm Raven. It's not 100% complete yet but it's getting there. Some clean up on the hightlighting and the scorpion logo and some more detail and I'll be close!

Here it is!

A nurgle Sentinel gunned down!

The War to end all Wars! - 18,000 point Apocalypse!

And so it was that the day was finally upon us. A few months of planning, some quick painting and a lot logistics were finally finished and we stood ready to do battle on an epic scale! We set up the table the night before and had everything ready so we could start early on saturday morning.

The Teams

The forces of Light:
Rory aka 'Rottimus' - Black Scorpion Legion  (counts as Blood angels)
Chriss - Ultramarines
Mons - Eldar

The forces of Darkness:
Rik - Traitor Guard
Magnus - Traitor Guard & Chaos Marines
Mattias - Chaos Marines & Daemons

The Table:

The Battlefield - The forces of light would be assaulting a fortress!

I won't write a full battle report because as most readers will know, Apocalypse is simply wholesale destruction. In short, The forces of light went first, Our opening turn wasn't particularly successful, the most powerful eldar weapon, the big red hover tank in the middle, missed with its massive D cannon. We quickly noticed that we we're horribly outgunned with most of our points being sunk into hard troops or deathstar units. We faced 12 leman russ tanks, 3 bane blades, 1 macharius, 6 basilisks and 1 vortex/deathstrike missile.

An impressive array of weapons

We on the other hand had 2 basilisks, 3 leman russes, an Eldar D-cannon super heavy, a Titan and a special mega dread. Most of our points were in the 4 land raiders filled with terminators and death company.

The battle was quite close for the first 2 turns but the sheer number of enemy heavy weapons took its toll. We pushed forward but made several key mistakes (hindsight ftw!). A linebreaker squadron pushed forward up the road toward the gate house. Instead of individually firing their guns at say, a super heavy, we elected to use the super large blastmarker to take out guardsmen...(why!!!) Our D-cannon super heavy also made the mistake of trying to take out the vortex missile launcher on the first turn... which when I think about it was silly seeing at how it can't fire on its next first turn anyway. We should have targetted the 6 russes and 30 chaos marines right in front of us.




D-cannon here please

Some highlights ofhe game included blowing up a baneblade resulting in a 18 inch atomic blast! Mons rolled 3 6's!!! Carnage ensued. Scheduled bombardment also proved usefull taking out many tanks and marines on both sides.

Around 11 at night, having played for 12 hours straight, on the force of darkness' 3rd turn we decided to end things. The forces of darkness held their home objective and everything else was contested. At the end of turn three things were looking a little negative. Not terrible though. We had plenty of models to take back our home objectives easily, and a no mans land objective was only contested by a Chaos Lord who faced a full death company. I reckon the game would have been a draw, possibly even a win for us if we'd played to turn 4 (that sounds bitter doesn't it? It gets worse, keep reading! :-)

Our points were mostly sunk into hard, tough troops and elites all of which were still alive. I think I had roughly 4200 points left on the table when we finished. miraculous considering it was Apocalypse.


Conclusion?

We made poor use of our forces. The more I think about it the more I realise the other team simply had a better & simpler plan and made better use of their units. They set their army up with 3 defensive lines full of armor 14 and 3+ cover save troops i.e totally expendable. They had a relatively simple plan, Hold the two home objectives, destroy one using a daemon called Mamon (he can rot away an objective) and that's basically it.

We on the other hand didn't really have an overall plan, only lots of smaller Use A to destroy B plans. Most of which failed. We held the line quite well though. Hindsight isn't wonderful, it's a bitch. Usually one crucial mistake can make you lose, we made several.

On a side note, Mattias, the Daemon player had some really nasty combos. Mamon, a nurgle daemon prince can rot away an objective. This particular ability was revealed only after Chriss had committed his reserves. Two important scoring tacticals squads to the far left moved onto the board near this objective, only to be told that the objective would be gone next turn, with no real hope of stopping the destruction.

The Chaos Lord also had some wargear, I can't remember what it was, but it allowed all deepstriking units to not scatter. Something that proved very usefull on turn three when about 7 different units appeared exactly where they were needed. The stench of parmesan, cheddar and brie was strong at this point! :) After the battle my team felt that this was slightly unfair. The reason being that before the game, we'd agree to limited wargear that had large ranges or full table effects.

How to make it better for next time?

We had far too many points and too much terrain. We started in a city which made maneuvering very difficult. There was just too much stuff on the board. It was chaos. Also, more openess about wargear. This can be debated as you aren't techincally required to explain all your wargear without being asked.

We had booked the whole weekend for play and we all foolishly decided to play on to late in the evening. By then people were exhausted and weren't keen on coming back in the morning. We should have played until 7 or 8 and then started again in the morning.

We also decided that with SO many points, each turn just felt punishing. You get shot at for an hour, then assaulted for another 30 minutes. In most normal games you can lose 3 to 4 hundred points in a turn. In apoc you're losing 1000+. It's a different mindset.

A bad loser?

Me!

I'll freely admit that losing doesn't feel awesome. I'm not a classic sore loser in the sense that I'll smash my models and cry if I lose. This loss wasn't even big. It was hard fought and very close. I do however have trouble losing to bad winners. Towards the end of the third turn, I had to roll 5 armor saves for some terminators, I rolled 3 1's. That stings a bit. It stings even more when your arch-enemy (in this case the dreaded Rik) bursts out in what can only be described as laughter that would put the Joker to shame.  Needless to say I didn't really see what was so funny. It's a personal peeve of mine, I've always felt one must be gracious in defeat AND in victory. That being said, I'm not a pillar of honour, just conditioned not to gloat. I literally have a BIG brother, any gloating or laughing was quickly followed by a severe beating so its just something I don't do.

I realised quickly enough that I was getting angry over picking up and moving a piece of plastic but it was more a mix of things so Rik isn't entirely to blame. I apologised and so did he so no worries there.

The game was simply too long and I think everyone's patience was thinning at this point, apart from Magnus who seemed to have a zen like calm about everything, even after losing three demolishers from 5 heroically intervening Vanguard. We packed up amidst a slightly strained atmosphere for which I was partly to blame. I apologised to those affected afterwards and we all concluded that the game was really fun up until around 9-10 o'clock. so, 11 hours of fun vs 1-2 hours of 'a bit crappy' is pretty good I think.

So the conclusion is crankyness, tiredness, low blood sugar, and apocalypse doesn't mix. Also, losing to an Englishman is more than my proud Scottish heart can take! :-)

A MASSIVE thank you to Chriss for organising everything, driving people home and putting up with our smells.

Thanks to all who participated! I did genuinly have a good time. Looking forward to the next battles.

And to Rik, you may have won the battle, but you have not won the war!!! :-)

More pics coming soon!!!

Progress - The Hydrobian 8th 'The Rags and Riches'

The Hydrobian 8th are recruited from the captial hive city of the lanet Arcturus: Hydrobius Altus. A sprawling mountain of metal and stone. A gleaming tower of trade, merchandise and industry yet its underbelly is violent and dangerous place. Every year a lottery is taken selecting young men from the hive to join the 8th. There are no families that can escape this selection, underhive scum are rounded up along with the firstborn of Lords and Barons. Even the Lord Governors family is not safe. Hence the Regiments name ' The Rags and Riches '

Enough background. Here's the WIP!

I'm modelling this army on the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare games. I really wanted to get the feel of an Imperial Guard army that gives it's soldiers decent weaponry. Also, I HATE HATE HATE the standard lasgun, it's so massive compared to the models. So spent months... yes months, trawling the internett looking for a decent replacement. I settled on HassleFree Miniatures m16 Assault Rifle. When I got them I went.. 'SHIT!' Cos they seemed so small but I continued, Once painted up they actually look great. phew.


1st Squad, 1st Platoon!

Autocannon ftw! I really liked the idea of taking a .50 Cal into combat. You can't take stubbers so... Autocannon it is!

I also studied a hell of a lot of military pictures to try and get the poses right. Rreally happy with this one. Using his left arm as a stabiliser.

Dudesmen! Really like the helmets.

 2nd Squad, 1st Platoon!

There is an autocannon missing, not painted yet.

Thanks to Rik for the super awesome goggle cadian heads. They seem to fit sooo well with the m16.

Forward!

Ahh, My new passion. Mortars! I'm going run at least 4 squads. I figure, they cost 60 pts. If I have enough of them they will eventually kill something. Plus they look cool!

I used a mix of Catachan bits to represent these guys sweating in the back line, not really needing their armour or try to cool off while they wait for orders.

Two more Autocannon teams to be attached to future Squads. Notice the 40 mm bases? I'm hoping ppl will be OK with that. the 60mm bases are just way too big!

Dakka dakka dakka dakka!

My allied imperial guard will never leave home without some hard cover. I had half an Aegis line left but needed some more wall. I used the extra flash you get from ForgeWorld models to use as the barriers. They kinda look like motorway concrete separators. 

Barbed While and Sand bags a plenty!

This is the 'counts as' Quad Cannon Anti Aircraft gun.

 For those of you interested, look up CIWS Goalkeeper system on youtube and you'll know why I wanted to make this!

Really happy with it. but it looks nasty, I think it might attract some fire 'in-game'

Oh, and wee extra thingy, It's 100% complete yet but I'm tired of playing games with crappy objectives. I'm going to make 6 unique objectives on 60 mm bases. This one works well as a Relic. 'An excavation team as dug up an ancient grail.... Claim it! '

A short history of the Helion system

The Helion system is a stronghold of Imperial power, a bulwark of strength, a shining ray of hope in wild and grim Eastern Fringe yet its name is not widely spoken, it only whispered of in the dimly lit bars in the many neighboring systems. To speak its name is to tempt fate, to bring about a cataclysm of unspeakable horror.

The Helion system was once ork controlled. Their raids and sorties took a fearsom toll on the shipping lanes causing untold destruction and loss of vital supplies. The desperate planetary governers were powerless to stop until a huge fleet appeared. The Black Scorpion Legion, on a penitent crusade, the cause of which has long since been forgotten, sailed through the region. The Adeptus Terra petitioned the Legion to protect the shipping lanes. The Black Scorpions set about their task with a fury belonging only to the Astartes. Not only did they protect the ships, they took the fight to the orks and pushed deep into the system. Over the next 17 years the Scorpions slowly conquered the 8 planets of the Helion system. Their slaying of the Ork Warlord was celebrated, a clarion call rang out across the region. Their penitence was deemed to be over and they were granted ownership of the system which was now little more than ruins.

The neighboring governers underestimated the value of the system and within years the Black Scorpions had fully established themselves, building a new fortress and replacing the many losses of the long campaign. New trade corridors opened up and the system flourished under the protection of the Legion. With no tithe to pay wealth accumulated to astronomical levels. Rogue traders from all corners of the galaxy flocked to the system to make their fortunes. It was at this point that the planetary governers of the neighboring systems had enough.

The attack begins

They declared the Scorpions to be heretics using falsified evidence. 5 greedy planetary governers gathered their forces and struck out at the chapter hoping to take them by surprise. This would become the known in the region as the War of Folly. The destruction wrought by both sides was on a terrific scale. The Black Scorpions, expert ship to ship combatants, slowly gained the upper hand by capturing ship after ship. When evidence surfaced that the claims against the Scorpions had been falsified the planetary governers and their generals were quickly and mysteriously killed one by one. Eventually newly appointed governers sued for peace. The Trial of Hapolus concluded that the Scorpions were free of taint and cleared of wrong doing.

The Scorpions withdrew, cutting all contact with neighboring systems and isolating themselves. The Helion system is now extremely heavily fortified. Ships captured during the war now patrol the outer rim, crewed by loyal captains. The planets themselves boast considerable military might. Millions of of men at arms guard the cities and spaceports, all firmly loyal to the Black Scorpions.

The Heavily defended planet of Arcturus, Home of the Black Scorpions

Trade and commerce soon flourished, the capital planet Arcturus boasts the largest markets and the finest goods on the Eastern Fringe yet there lies a darkness behind the facade. The Legion has never forgiven the perceived betrayal.

The Capital Hive of Arcturus - 'Hydrobius'

The Legion Master, Isembard Kane, maintains cordial relations with all neighboring systems yet has declared numerous times that he answers to no man. Many whisper that he wields too much power and will be consumed by it. He controls 2000 marines, having long since discarded the Codex Astartes, a formidable fleet of captured ships, billions of soldiers and 8 fully fortified planets.

He fights for humanity, ever protective of imperial civilians, the Scorpions have participated in many glourious campaigns, winning hearts and minds across the region. There are those that claim this is simply a ploy to increase their influence. Whatever the truth.... Kane's power grows daily. If he were ever to turn away from the light of Emperor or an envious party were to draw plans against him... it would spell a conflict not seen since the Badab War.

Armoured Support!

No imperial guard army should be without armoured support. I've never really liked the Leman Russ model... It always seemed to high, to bulky. A bit too WW 1. I found a really nice blog where a guy had made is own Blood Pact Tank: http://pickadamnarmy.blogspot.no/2009/10/at70-bloodpact-tank-scratch-built.html

I loved the idea

I present my own version - The AT-80 Battle Tank  - a sleeker, more compact Leman Russ.

I'm VERY happy with the result. Everything came together really well. My only issue is that I should have read the rules first. The Lascannon is essentially 15 points down the drain seeing as I can only snap fire it, even if the tank stands still!!! Ordinance be damned!

This is one of three currently in production. Beware!

New Army has begun!

This is my first fully painted model for my new army (as yet unnamed)

I present Forward Air Controller Harkin Von Straum (Counts as both Company Commander or Master of Ordinance) Quite happy... Its my first go with such light colours but they are working OK. looks nice on the table top.

C&C!!!!

Reinforcements! - Imperial Guard Big Guns!

My Black Scorpions are almost complete. A few vehicles here and there, a couple of HQ models to paint and I'm pretty much there. I'm content with the kind of army I wanted to build, and now I have it. So I'm moving on to a project I've been waiting for for a long time! My Imperial Guard!

Not sure what I'm calling them yet but I'm going for a gritty, modern warfare style desert theme.

These old tanks have been in my possession for around 15 years. I bought one eons ago and inherited another from a friend. There were in a terrible state but thankfully only undercoated black. I did my best to glue bits back together and recover them. I'm OK with the result. This is the first time I've tried a desert camo scheme... It's hard to get right I feel. I'm not 100% happy but I can see, with a little effort and practice I'll get it right.

Also my first attempt at camo netting. That was chalenge to make it look nice.