Epic Space Marine - Flesh Tearers - Special Characters and Terminators - 6mm

I very luckily managed to have another game of second edition EPIC (aka Space Marine) recently (battle report to follow at some point soon) and as ever it was exceptionally good fun with mass-devastation achieved by the end of turn three. There is something very satisfying about being able to field an entire Chapter of Space Marines during a game without having to have a playing area the size of a football pitch.

One thing that did shine through during the game is that Special Characters (as featured on the SPECIAL cards) are a vital tool in maximising the combat effectiveness of your troops. Much like the most recent edition of 28mm 40k (8th Ed) Characters in this game act more as force multipliers by driving up the potency of nearby units as opposed to being combat powerhouses in their own right.

I already have a number of Special Characters in my Dark Angels force but my Flesh Tearers were noticeably lacking in this field. So I as soon as I finished the game I went straight to my Epic Bitz Box to set about rectifying this issue in preparation for my next battle.

Space Marine Force Commander (Chapter Master)

This model represents Gabriel Seth, Flesh Tearer Chapter Master (who I already have in my 28mm Flesh Tearer Force). I represented him using the standard Space Marine character model from the 1990's period, but to mark him out from ordinary Company Commanders I also included a Standard Bearer (now called an Ancient) on the stand as well. This unit is potent in melee and gives nearby units a useful leadership bonus.

Space Marine Librarian

Next up was a Space Marine Librarian, I had run out of power armoured models so I gave this guy a set of Terminator Armour which looks pretty imposing. Librarians have a couple of useful psychic attacks which can be handy for whittling down enemy companies and securing those desperately needed Victory Points.

Space Marine Chaplain

Chaplains are always cool and their dark black armour looks suitably ominous as they smash in the faces of the Emperor's enemies with their Crozius Arcani. In EPIC these characters also drive up the close combat capabilities of nearby units which is a real game changer, especially when facing other Space Marine forces.

Space Marine Techmarine

Vehicle squadrons are key to success both in securing objectives and taking the fight to the foe; thus anything that improves their durability is a welcome boon. Step in the crimson clad techmarines of the Adeptus Astartes; stick one of these guys in the middle of your armoured columns and ensure that all nearby vehicle squadrons get an additional 5+ save! Enough Said!

Space Marine Medic (Apothercary)

Look closely at this model... that's right, I am crazy enough to individually paint, shade and highlight every little light, screen and tool on this tiny 6mm model. That being said I think he looks suitably impressive for the extra detail.

Infantry (including Space Marines) are exceptionally fragile in EPIC and players will inevitably find themselves removing multiple stands after each round of shooting and melee. Most infantry have no armour save...in fact Terminators only get a 6+ Save. So the ability of Space Marine medics to give all nearby infantry a 5+ save is vital.
 

Space Marine Terminators

Terminators are the best infantry in an Epic Space Marine Army bar none, they are durable and with a 6+ Close Assault Factor (CAF) it takes a lot to slay them in combat. Now my Flesh Tearers already had a detachment (4 stands) of these guys, but as I witnessed them tear through the enemy lines and realised how much effort (and firepower) my opponent was putting into trying to halt them I just knew I had to have more! So I decided to up the detachment to a full company of these deadly veterans.

45 Crux Terminatus's (Crosses) was a bit of a challenge to paint...

This meant I needed a further 8 stands of normal Terminators and a Command Stand to lead them. (I'd already painted the accompanying Land Raiders back in December ( Epic Land Raiders and Veterans Post )) Thus I spent an entire day assembling, basing and painting these additional stands up.

... As was painting 45 tiny Flesh Tearer symbols.

In fact I knuckled down and ploughed through these guys in around five hours. I marked out the Terminator Command Stand through the use of white shoulder pads.

Now I that I've focussed so heavily on expanding my Flesh Tearers I think I might go back and show my EPIC Dark Angels some love soon!

Hopefully I'll be able to get these freshly painted guys on the tabletop for a few games in the next month or so!