Empire Greatsword

Here's my single painted Empire Model from my 500pt Nuln army, a Greatsword. I want his unit finished for Christmas.


- Gavin

Industrial Tower System

Just stumbled across this, coming soon from Litko. Looks like it'll be perfect for games of Necromunda, 28mm Inquisitor and even 40K. No price announced yet, but it looks good.


Images copyright Litko Aerosystems, and stolen without permission.

- Gavin

A few formatting changes.....

I'm fiddling around with the blog a bit while my paints are boxed up, so there will be a few changes. I'm planning to reorganise the links/sidebar, change the colours a bit and maybe add some graphics, so at least I'll be doing something to the blog while I'm decorating.

I've recently subscribed to Google Analytics, which kicks ass. I can now see the operating system, web browser, resolution and location of people reading, and even see how they stumbled here. So far we've had several people looking for Eldar Flags, Baal Predator Painting Guides and Vespid Tactica's. It's just a pity we only have one of those on here at the moment - I may have to add a painting guide for my upcoming Baal, just to add another. I'm not doing any flags though! We're getting around 5-10 different people a day, which is nothing compared to most websites (even my own forum gets around 20-30!), but much better than it was last month. We're getting there slowly, I just need to add something worth reading.

- Gavin

New Forge World Eldar

Nothing really amazing, but Forge World are releasing an Eldar Avatar with Spear alongside a new version of the Wave Serpent. Enjoy.


-Gavin

Vespid Tactica

Vespids - are they hideously fragile fliers or MEQ* killing superstars of the highest caliber? In this article I will examine their use on the tabletop, and suggest tactics for their use in games of 40K.


From the forum posts and articles that I've read, it seems that a lot of people really, really hate the Vespids. They complain that the guns are short range, they have too low an armour save, they are dire in close combat and most of all, they hate having to pay 16 points for each model! Yet, I've found that if they are used in the right way they are a fantastic reserve unit that can really ruin a marine players day.

OK, now I've waffled for a bit, lets look at their rules.

Movement

Vespids are jump infantry, therefore moving up to 12" each turn. They also have the Fleet of Wing ability (potentially adding another 6"), meaning if they wanted to assault then they could move a total of 24" - not too bad.

Add to this the idea that they are skilled fliers. With this rule they get to re-roll any failed dangerous terrain tests, meaning they could simply skip through dangerous terrain if you wished it. This is a very handy ability to have for flanking, if your gaming group uses dangerous terrain.

Shooting

Now lets add the guns - their 12" range means they need to be staring into the eyes of the opponent, so every shot counts here. They can practically kill anything, but you need to ensure the enemy is dead by the end of that shooting turn, or returning fire and close combat will destroy them. I recommend markerlighting the target unit for them, they'll be much more likely to destroy the enemy and survive to shoot again

What can we do with this unit?

Reserve Unit

My first idea is a reserve unit - they are born for this role. Keep them out of the enemies sight, preferably near to any static units of Fire Warriors. When a close combat unit attempts to get near them (like Assault Marines), the Vespid unit will fly out of their hiding place. Markerlight the incoming unit, increase the vespids BS and let them pummel the target squad to a fine paste. Any models that are still alive can then be mopped up by the fire warriors, and if that doesn't kill them the Vespids could charge them, using their high initiative to their advantage. 9 times out of 10 there would be no enemies left by this point.

Surgical Deep Strike

Pretty simple tactic - simply deep strike as close as possible to the most expensive enemy unit on the table (that has 3+ Armour), and cause as much damage in one turn of shooting as possible. If you hit an expensive enough target you can easily make twice the Vespids points back.

This tactic once helped me successfully wipe out a death company. Yes the company could be claimed to cost not that many points, meaning that points for points the Vespids didn't make their points up, however, they eliminated the biggest threat to the Tau - something that I'm sure any player who has fought blood angels are all too aware of.

Flanking Force

My next suggestion is a flanking force. With the potential to move through almost any terrain with relative ease, the Vespid can out flank and maneuver around most forces, hitting them and exploiting their weak points, something that would be great against most tanks. You should use terrain that blocks LoS to avoid being shot at - at least get a cover save on the go. At a critical point in the game you should reveal the Vespids and cause as much damage as possible, again using Markerlights to your advantage.

Evaporating Flank

A suggestion I've seen someone put was the evaporating flank technique. Set up the Vespids away from everyone else, draw the opponent towards them, then fly away, leaving you free to deal with the rest of the army. If you're lucky it will work, although most players will either ignore them or use long range weaponry against them.

Points to Remember

- Always use them against models with Armour 3 or above, to take best advantage of their high AP.

- Avoid the enemies fire as much as possible, even the humble Lasgun can chew through Vespids.

- Use squads of 11 where possible, to make this unit as survivable as possible.

-Alternatively, use 2 small units of 5 to split the enemies fire (although this also splits your markerlights!)

- Use markerlights where possible, this can almost double the number of enemies killed!


So to sum up, yes vespids have dire close combat, short range of guns and are extremely fragile - but used well they make the perfect supporting unit for the Tau Empire army.

-Sam

*MEQ = Marine Equivalent, Models with T4 and 3+ Armour.

You might want to check out the Games Workshop page on Vespid Tactics also.

Descent of Angels

I'm going to be redecorating over the next few days, so don't expect any more posts from me for a while - here's something good to hold the frontpage till I'm back:

This will be the front/back cover of the next Horus Heresy novel, from the Black Library. It's called Descent of Angels and focuses on the Dark Angels prior to the Heresy itself. It should be fantastic, all the other books in the series have been so far.

If you haven't read the Horus Heresy series yet, read it NOW.

-Gavin

Rhino WiP

This is a repaint of a repaint, so the paints far too thick. It looks pretty good from a distance though, and should be finished soon.


-Gavin

Armoured Company Planning

My Blood Angels take a long time for me to paint, but I want to be able to field an army large enough for Apocalypse size games (probably me against 2 friends at once). It's going to be far too impractical for me to paint up 3,000+ points of Blood Angels (I'm having trouble with 2'000pts), but I think I've found the answer.


1 - Paint my Blood Angels army up to 2,000pts (about 500pts done so far)

2 - Buy the box set of 10 Leman Russ Tanks (excellent value for money)

3 - Also buy a Baneblade, Macharius (with Mega Bolters no less) and several FW upgrade kits

4 - Assemble the following list

5 - Paint quickly using lots of Spray Paints, Drybrushing and Ink Washes

6 - Voilla, 5'000pts of Imperial Forces!


Here's my trial list (all tanks have Track Guards and Extra Armour)

HQ

Commisarial Command Tank - Leman Russ Vanquisher (Hull Lascannon, Improved Comms, Storm Bolter)

ELITES

Tank Ace - Leman Russ Exterminator (3 Heavy Bolters, Storm Bolter)
Tank Ace - Leman Russ Exterminator (3 Heavy Bolters, Storm Bolter)

TROOPS

Leman Russ (Hull Heavy Bolter)
Leman Russ (Hull Lascannon)
Leman Russ (Hull Lascannon)
Leman Russ Conquerer (3 Heavy Bolters)

HEAVY SUPPORT

Leman Russ Demolisher (Plasma Cannons, Lascannon)
Leman Russ Demolisher (Plasma Cannons, Lascannon)
Destroyer Tank Hunter

-2'000pts-

SUPER HEAVY REINFORCEMENTS

Baneblade (Upgrades*)
Macharius (Vulcan Mega Bolter, Upgrades)

-3'000pts-

*Not seen the Apocalypse rules for the Baneblade in depth, but I've left over 80 points to buy additional upgrades for the 2 super heavies.

This adds up to about £350, which isn't too shabby for a 3000pt army. Feel free to leave any thoughts or suggestions on the list in the comments section. Here's my planned colour scheme, courtesy of Dawn of War:




The guys over at Golden Throne have given me some brilliant tips to help with painting large numbers of tanks, check them out.

In other news, I've nearly painted up a Rhino, which I will probably use to mount my Baal/Whirlwind turrets on when I need to. I've found another Rhino in my bits box, so I might assemble that soon.

-Gavin

Devastators WiP

Since I use Dev's in all my lists, it's high time I got some painted. Heres they are, in all their basecoated glory. Not much to look at, they need a lot of work yet.

-Gavin

Forge World - New IG Tank / Tau Remora

I saw these on WarSeer today, and decided they're so cool they have to go on here. Behold:



It's a Macharius Super-Heavy with Vulcan Mega Bolters! This thing is a beast, and a snap at 450 points. More pictures are available here. The Mega Bolters are Heavy 15, S6 AP3 weapons, so not something you'd want to mess with - from the looks of it they might be twin linked.

The second Forge World item we have here is the new Tau Remora fighter drone. This is an armour 10 skimmer with Stealth Generator, Networked Markerlight, Seeker Missile, Targeting Array and twin linked 36" range Burst Cannons, 110 points. It can be upgraded with a Blacksun Filter if need be.

More pictures are available here, and rules for both are available for download here. Note that the points cost for the Macharius is wrong on the PDF (it should be 375 basic cost, +80 for the weapons), and the Remora is labeled as a Leman Russ. That's the legendary Forge World proof readers for you.

2000 points of Tau

Well I decided to write up a list for the next battle to try and combat either Space Marines or Eldar. Its just a slight deviation of my standard list with a few things that I would like to try:

2,000pt Tau List

Command Squad

Shas'O with plasma rifle, missile pod, shield generator, multi-tracker, drone controller with two gun drones and stimulant injector
Shas'vre with twin-linked plasma rifle, shield generator, target lock & drone controller with two gun drones.
Shas'vre with twinlinked missile pod, shield generator, target lock & drone controller with two gun drones.
They are bonded.

Stealth team 5 Stealth Suits, one upgraded to shas'vre with fusion blaster. Bonded

Monat -Shas'vre with air burster fragmentation projector, burst cannon, shield generator with multi-tracker.

3 Fire Warrior Squads Each have 12 members, with an upgraded Shas'ui. The Shas'ui has a markerlight and target lock. The teams are bonded.

Vespids 1 Strain leader with 10 Stingwings

Pathfinders with Devilfish 6 Pathfinders with upgraded Shas'ui. 3 have rail-rifles
The Devilfish has decoy launchers, a disruption pod, multi-tracker, targetting array and target lock

Hammerhead Railgun and burst cannons. Also has decoy launchers, disruption pod, multi-tracker & target lock with a blacksun filter

Hammerhead Ion Cannon and smart missile system. Also has decoy launchers, disruption pod, multi-tracker & target lock with a seeker missile

Sniper Teams 2 Sniper teams

Total - 2'000pts




Basically, I've modeled my army to be good against most things. I love the command squad. Most people hate the idea of putting too many eggs in one basket, but this kitted out squad can just about take any unit on - marine hunting with the plasma, tank busting with the missile pods and mass infantry killing with the drones and other weapons, plus they're hard as nails. The gun drones can be expected to die, however they do help add more shots to the unit and obscure the suits.

My stealth team is my signature piece. I love these guys, partly because everyone else hates them. They pop out, shoot you and pop back again whilst you find it extremely hard to hit them because of the stealth generators. I upgraded them with a fusion blaster in case I have to go tank hunting too, although looking at the amount of tank piercing guns I have it shouldn't be too bad unless I'm against the land raider (which I may be playing either alongside or against next game).

The Monat can be changeable if need be, this is my mass infantry killing unit and the bane of Eldar Guardians. The fragmentation projector ignores their armour and any cover save before pinning them. He would be good as well if any marine squad bunches up.

Fire Warriors are my usual fire base, 3 squads should provide some nice covering fire as well as some useful markerlights.

Pathfinders are an interesting unit. They function both as a sniper unit and as a markerlighting one. Their rules provide easy deep strikes and allow my pathfinders to come up with an extra move before the start, useful sometimes if I want to deceive the opponent as well as making the devilfish automatically become a unit which you have to glance rather than penetrate.

Vespids are the reserves. With their fast movement and short range marine hunter guns, they will protect the fire warriors against assault squads such as the death company. With markerlights these guys are renowned for destroying large chunks of squads in one turn of shooting.

Again two hammerheads, with two different functions. You may have noticed the rail-gun one has a blacksun filter. Considering the different types of games and the chance of having a night fighting game, I thought it wise to equip it with a blacksun filter so it could see a maximum of 72 inches (4d6 * 3), the maximum range of its gun and be able to hide away from those tank hunters. The battlesuits have acute sense, making them likely to see fairly well whilst the other hammerhead can fire up to 24" guaranteed with its smart missile system.

As for the snipers, in the last battle they certainly scared Brad and Gav as well as distracting them. As a result I will use them to either draw fire or do some damage to any squads getting near me.

Hopefully this should be a good list.

- Sam

Deathwatch WiP

Now I've finished and posted my scouts, I'm gonna show you what I'm working on at the minute.

I've got a 10 man Deathwatch Kill Team on the go, led by a Librarian. Although I'll only be able to use them in friendly games they look awesome, are quick to paint (being all black) and would make a very good Kill Team. Besides, who can miss out on Assault 3 Heavy Bolters?

Above is the painting so far - the Black Templar is more or less done, the other two are at varying stages.

Below is another model I'm working on, the Captain of the 8th Company. I want to model and paint all 10 Captains of the Blood Angels, and this will be the first.


You can see a picture of the Captain unpainted in this old post.

-Gavin

Sniper Scouts

Here they are in all their glory. They just need Static Grass on their bases, and off they go.







I'll have some Deathwatch posted on here sometime this week, and maybe the Captain of the 8th Company.

-Gavin

WYSIWYG Blood Angels List

I'm buying a Baal Predator and Dreadnought from a friend this month, so I'll almost have enough Blood Angels to use a 2,000pt non-proxied army. I still have to borrow a Tactical Squad and proxy a normal bike for an assault bike, but I'm very nearly there. I imagine I'll have enough models in late October.

2,000pt Blood Angels

HQ

Chaplain Grimmauld (Crozius, Rosarius, Grenades, Jump Pack)

Elites

Death Company* (10 Men, Jump Packs)

Dreadnought (Assault Cannon, Power Fist, Storm Bolter, Extra Armour)

Sniper Scouts (5 Men, 4 Rifles, 1 Missile Launcher)

Terminators (5 Men, Assault Cannon, 2 Chainfists)

Troops

Tactical Squad (10 Men, Power Sword, Missile Launcher, Flamer)

Tactical Squad (10 Men, Power Fist, Missile Launcher, Plasma Rifle)

Fast Attack

Attack Bike (Multi Melta)

Heavy Support

Devastator Squad (10 Men, 2 Plasma Cannons, 2 Lascannons)

Devastator Squad (10 Men, 2 Heavy Bolters, 2 Missile Launchers)

Baal Predator (Assault Cannons)

*Does not take up a slot, hence the 4 Elite units.

-Gavin

40K Mission Generator

Here's the Scenario Generator table we'll probably be using from now on. I've missed out what I consider the worst of the missions, and mixed the special rules used up as well. All missions use Victory Points unless stated otherwise in the mission description.

D20 Roll	Mission Played	Page No.	Rules Used
1	Breakout	213	None
2	Rescue	190	Reserves
3	Night Fight	191	Night Fighting, Infiltrate
4	Ambush	206	Hidden Set Up, Divided Force, Reserves
5	Rearguard	212	Hidden Set Up, Deep Strike, Infiltrate, Divided Force
6	-	-	As above with Night Fighting
7	Patrol	191	Escalation, Reserves, Deep Strike, Infiltrate
8	-	-	Random Game Length, Reserves
9	-	-	None
10	Take and Hold	83	Escalation, Reserves, Deep Strike, Infiltrate
11	-	-	None
12	Recon	83	Dawn, Infiltrate
13	-	-	Infiltrate, Forced Deep Strike*
14	Cleanse	81	Escalation, Reserves, Deep Strike, Infiltrate
15	-	-	Dawn, Infiltrate
16	-	-	None
17	Seek and Destroy	82	Escalation, Reserves, Deep Strike, Infiltrate
18	-	-	Dawn, Infiltrate, Reserves, Deep Strike
19	-	-	Night Fighting, Infiltrate
20	-	-	None

* = All units that can Deep Strike (for no extra cost) must start in reserves and enter via Deep Strike on the usual turn.

-Gavin