Epic Battle Report

Well as promised here is my second battle report from my retro games with my best mate the other day.  The first battle we fought was an exciting game of Rogue Trader and you can read all about this encounter in my earlier post from last Sunday.

For our second game we decided to do something a little different and so dug out our old school Epic (6mm) armies for a game of Second Edition Space Marine (c.1991).

I have played all versions of the Epic system that have been released through the decades and I personally feel that these are the best set of rules that GW ever produced for this scale. 

In this battle report a force of mighty Space Marines will be fighting against....some more Space Marines; it should be...well...epic!!

Army Selection
For those not familiar with this rule set you'll be pleased to hear that army selection is a pretty simple process.  Each player chooses a number of company cards to represent the majority of their forces; these are a one stop shop and tell you everything that you need to know about the forces under your command.  For every company card (the large ones pictured below) you can select a further five detachment cards (the smaller ones) to support your main force.

These unit cards are also a key mechanic during the battle as when a certain amount of troops (described on the card) have been killed then this causes the parent unit to be broken; if this happens you hand the card to your opponent and he is awarded a specific number of Victory Points in addition to those that he has accrued from holding objectives(more on this later). This is actually very simple and fluid to use.

We went for a 2100 battle and so I took a basic Space Marine Battle Company (6 each of tactical, devastator and assault stands, 1 HQ stand and numerous Rhinos), a Tactical Company (18 tactical stands, 1 HQ, Rhinos), a Terminator Detachment (4 Stands of Terminators, 2 Land Raiders) and Predator Squadron (3 Tanks).  This seemed like a well rounded and balanced force with sufficient firepower to eliminate most threats and enough mobility to grab objectives.

My Battle Company was represented by the third company of the Dark Angels Chapter.  This noble first founding Chapter also provided Terminators from the Deathwing ably supported by their Land Raiders. These stoic troopers were augmented by a Tactical Company from the Flesh Tearers who also brought along their Predators for some added fire support.

My opponent went for two Tactical Companies backed up by a full Land Raider Company (9 Land Raiders plus a command Land Raider - that's a hell of a lot of fire power!!) 

My noble opponent's forces consisted of Astartes from the Blood Angels Chapter 

Set-Up

Set up in second edition involves each player placing four objectives in their own table half and then erecting a screen down the centre of the battlefield.  The players then set up their forces in relative secrecy before the screen is removed and battle ensues.

 

 

Finding a screen to cover a 6 x 4 table was quite hard; however I found a makeshift system that will make all you Old Hammerers smile...I used the box lids from my copies of 1st Ed Space Marine; 2nd Ed Space Marine and my two copies of 2nd Ed 40k.....ah the memories!!

 



 Once we were happy with our troop dispositions we removed the screen and the battlefield looked like this...

The small card markers above indicate the objectives (players accumulate VPs for holding objectives at the end of each turn; these are cumulative throughout the game).  My Dark Angels tactical marines dismounted from their Rhinos and held the objective (holding units need to be the closest troops within 15cm) on the far right. To their left are the Deathwing and a few Flesh Tearers.  In the centre of my line are the DA Assault Marines, more FT Tactical Marines and the Predators.  To the left of my battle space the DA Devastators set up inside one of the sky scrapers.

The Blood Angels all began the game mounted in their vehicles ready to speed forward and grab objectives.  Their battle line was spread across the whole board. One squadron of Land Raiders shored up the left flank whilst the other two squadrons and the command tank positioned themselves in the centre.

Battle Commences...

The game uses a clever system of orders to determine what your troops do each turn.  Each player secretly chooses to give each of their detachments one of the following orders:

First Fire: Troops can't move but can shoot before everyone else.
Advance: Can move at normal rate and shoot second
Charge: Can move at double rate but can't shoot. Charging is the only way to move into close combat.

Orders are displayed on small markers that are placed face down by each of the units. Once every unit has been given their orders the cards are turned over and revealed.  Each player then rolls a d6 and the winner decides whether to go first or second.

My devastators went on to first fire in order to maximise the effectiveness of their heavy weapons.  The tactical marines on my left flank charge forward to try and steal my enemy's objective as soon as possible. The rest of the force are on advance orders to give them a degree of flexibility.

The Dark Angles tactical squads remain static and hunker down by my right hand objective.  The central troops edge forwards in order to claim one of the middle objectives located within the forestry block. Sadly my barrage of shooting delivers little (most Space Marine units need a 5+ to hit).

The enemy's Blood Angels roll forward in a block of crimson ceramite; unleashing a volley of heavy laser fire that incinerates one of my Predators in a ball of flame.

In subsequent turns my left hand tactical squads power forwards towards my opponent's flank objective.  This initial grab for power goes well and the troops move with such momentum that the Blood Angels find it hard to respond quickly enough.  However a squadron of Land Raiders is diverted from their centre line and they roll towards my soldiers slaying many of my loyal Marines with accurate bursts of laser fire.  My devastators based in the buildings support this advance with a withering hail of covering fire that cuts down a host of enemy infantry.  The tactical marines add their bolters to the volley and slay another two stands, a cheer goes up but it is cut short as three of their own stands are butchered in return.  Additionally the predator squadron is obliterated which grants my opponent some easy VPs early on.

In the centre of the battleground the DA Assault Marines; Tactical Marines and the FT Tactical Troops roll forward and dismount with the goal of dislodging the Blood Angels from the tower block and claiming the objective which is hidden behind it.  In my head this seemed a great idea....

However as I watched the enemy Land Raiders and tactical squads surrounding my beleaguered forces I cursed my poor strategy as 11 stands of Dark Angels and 1 stand of Flesh Tearers are exterminated....Bugger.

Meanwhile in the back ground the Deathwing and their Land Raiders attempt to secure my own objectives (once an objective has been secured it will still remain under your control even if your troops leave it...until the enemy move up and take it off you that is).

Further bloodshed ensues in another turn of brutal gunfire (the rate of attrition in Epic is astounding, marines die at an astonishing rate and vehicles aren't much better.  If you like carnage on a massive scale then this is the game for you my friends!)

Back on the left flank and thanks to the combined fire from my devastators and tactical marines (supported by their inspiring commander) - all of whom are on First Fire orders, five Blood Angels Rhinos and two further tactical squads are sent to meet the Machine God and the God-Emperor respectively. One of my stands is also reduced to cinders by a Land Raider's heavy lasers.

 

At this point my opponent has slain enough of the Dark Angels tactical company to break them (instantly earning a load of VPs); this means the remaining detachments from this card have to take a morale check. The tactical and assault squads who have been butchered manage to pass the check, but ironically the devastator squads who haven't even been shot yet appear to be terrified by the sounds of their brothers being butchered over the vox-net; and so fail the test (a 1 in 6 chance of failure...bloody dice Gods).  This means they are now falling back.  As they were in cover they don't need to move but they can't shoot etc until they rally....this was a real drama as these guys had been providing the majority of my heavy firepower thus far. 

The carnage in the centre of the battlefield continues unabated and more of my stands are absolutely obliterated. My opponent at this point reveals himself as a grand tactician and uses this opportunity to speed a tactical unit up my right flank and snatch an objective from under my nose. Meanwhile one of my Land Raiders burns nearby.

The massacre on the left flank intensifies with a Blood Angels Land Raider exploding and a load of Sanguinius's finest perishing in howling agony; their screams soothe my own Black Rage which is steadily building!

Seeing the opportunity this presents the Flesh Tearers take advantage of this moment to roll forward.  Having already seized control of the far left objective they mount up and smash into the next objective which is located in the nearby scrub. A gunfight ensues in the bushes and it is touch and go for a minute; but luckily when the smoke dissipates it is one of my remaining units that is closest to the objective marker, bagging me another much needed 5 VPs.

 

At the conclusion of the game this objective remains safely within the Blood Angels possession as my contingent of Rhinos are too far away to challenge control.

After the Blood Angels excellent snatching of my far right objective last turn their infantry proceed to dismount in order to consolidate their position. I am aware however that this is now very much the end game and so I throw everything I have left at trying to wrest back control of this objective.  Despite the combined efforts of the Dark Angels Commander, the Deathwing and the Flesh Tearers and everything else I could muster it is no use and my opponent still retains control of the objective at the end of the final turn...Damn!

And with that the battle was over. I pulled out a pen and paper and calculated the final scores as we had a much-needed cup of tea.  In the end the result was:

 





BLOOD ANGELS 71 VP

vs

DARK ANGELS/FLESH TEARERS 68 VP

 

So my noble opponent had won a hard-earned victory; being a gracious loser I shook his hand and threw him out of my f**king house...

 

Not really.

 

Overall it was a fantastic game which was both tense and tactically challenging all the way through.  It is a system that rewards planning and sound strategy. There were lots of points where it could have gone either way, but I have to admit my mate out-played me with his flanking manoeuvre. 

 

Both my opponent and I literally couldn't believe how much fun we had on this one; the rules just make sense and flow so easily.  The whole system is highly intuitive and I thoroughly recommend it to any readers.  My mate and I have agreed that this is our new favourite set of rules and have spent the last few days frantically bulking our Epic forces! I am greatly looking forward to our rematch!

 

Battle Report - Battle at the Farm v2.1

Well as promised in my last post I am pleased to say that I have had not one but two exciting retro-esque battles today; and they were great!

My mate who is in the Navy was on leave today and so we agreed to meet up for a bit of wargaming fun while we were both about.  He turned up at my place fairly early and so we decided to try and squeeze two games in the time available. Normally we play modern 40k; but I have been trying to entice him into Old Hammer for a while now (he's been playing for years so he does actually remember the good old days which is handy) and so today we agreed to give it a go.

I decided to jump in with both feet and go full retro; so I broke out my original copy of Rogue Trader and stuck to the rules within it with none of the subsequent modifications introduced post 1987. 

Situation: To keep things simple we used a slight modification of the Battle at the Farm that is included within the original book. The main changes that we made were to accommodate the models we had available to us, primarily this meant that the Crimson Fists were replaced by a detachment of Salamanders led by the appropriately named Cando Petror.  Additionally the Orks were replaced by the forces of Imperial Governess Margareet Thatchot who was furious that some Imperial Space Marines had recently arrested her son.  Initially it was thought that the charge against her son was related to the instigation of a failed coup on a nearby planet; but subsequent reports indicate that the offence  was the much more serious felony of spraying graffiti (which clearly justifies the deployment of the Emperor's finest warriors). Wrathful at this insult to her family's honour the Governess has mobilised a squad of PDF troops and two units of her own personal female bodyguards (who look a lot like battle sisters) which are led by a senior Captain, and gone looking for the impudent Astartes who are holed up nearby in the ruins of an old farmhouse.  This has caused even further problems as this is in fact the location where Governess Thatchot has been hiding the credits that she has been skimming from the Imperial Tithe for the past decade.

Objectives:

Captain Petror's objective is simple, any who stand against him stand against the Emperor and so he will utterly annihilate them...thus none of the enemy forces must survive!

Governess Thatchot needs to retrieve the funds that she has stashed in the farm. Either she or her female Captain need to spend one turn together unmolested in the main farmhouse, or two turns if they have been separated and are on their own!

(These are almost identical to the objectives in the book itself). 

 

Battlefield:

 

In true Old Hammer style I decided to go all out retro with the battlefield for this one.  So I packed away all my modern GW terrain, threw my Imperial Sanctorum in the wardrobe and then dug out my green battle mat, 80's scrubs and classic ruins.  I then proceeded to set them up exactly as per the layout for the scenario in the rule book; as shown.

It was a refreshing change to use such traditional, simple terrain and it brought all those glorious memories from my childhood games.



Forces:

Governess Thatchot's Kill team consists of the Governess herself in Carapace Armour packing a plasma pistol and power maul.  The carapace armour gives her a 4+ save but she suffers a 1/2 inch reduction to her movement due to it's encumbrance.  The Captain of her female bodyguard wields a plasma pistol and a power sword whilst clad in power armour (4+ save; no movement penalty); her troops are packing bolters; bolt pistols; knives and power armour; one also has a chain sword.

The PDF squad are also in carapace armour and carry lasguns except for the sergeant who is carrying a sword (no power).  All the troops have back up weapons consisting of  laspistols and knives.

The Salamanders all wear power armour, with knives and bolt pistols. Fourteen carry boltguns whilst the final marine is wielding a missile launcher with plasma missiles.  Capatin Petror has a power sword and boltgun and has the best stats of all the models on the battlefield; he also wears a refractor field for a little extra protection

Set-up

The Salamanders set up within the main farm house itself as per the directions in the scenario.  Each of the three squads then nominated a sentry; these were then deployed to stag positions around the perimeter of the main compound. My buddy placed his Commander so that he was deep inside the building and thus protected from speculative fire aimed at the location.  The trooper with the missile launcher was placed where his arcs of fire could allow him to acquire a target most effectively.

 

The Governess's forces we required to enter from the east side of the table and so all forces entered in such a way that the nearby hill provided the most amount of cover possible.  The Governess joined the PDF squad as they both had carapace armour so the movement penalty was thus focused all in one squad.  The female Captain joined one of her squads of bodyguards to augment their fighting prowess.

The Governess's forces went first and so they began the slog towards the farmhouse; there wasn't any shooting to be done and so they used to their reserve moves to edge even closer.

The Marines were now alert to the presence of enemy forces within their battle space and so began to move into defensive positions around the compound. The Missile Launcher trooper didn't move and so took the opportunity to fire a missile at the power armoured troops that had emerged from behind the nearby hill.  Stupidly I had left these girls in the open and as such they took a plasma missile in the centre of their tight configuration.  When the blinding light had dissipated one of their number had been reduced to a pile of smoking ceramite and ash.

The Governess's forces continued to try and get to the ruins of the farmhouse as fast as possible.  She and the PDF squad sprinted for the nearby orchard closely following behind a squad of the power armoured bodyguards. Meanwhile the squad that had taken the casualty last turn rapidly reconsidered the prudence of wandering around in the open when a big green psycho was packing a heavy duty rocket launcher scant metres away; and as such they ran behind the hill again.....heroes!


The Marines set up an effective firing line behind the walls of the farmyard and once they were in position they proceeded to unleash a hail of fire at the two squads of enemy troops who were now sprinting across their arcs.  This was the perfect distance for these hardened skirmishers and a number of the bolt rounds punched into their targets; however despite this the enemy's armour held and none were killed.  The trooper with the missile launcher could no longer see the enemy squad from last turn but decided to try a gambit by firing at the nearby hill and hoping that the shot would deviate onto the squad (a valid tactic in Rogue Trader). Sadly his fire was too accurate and the blast didn't deviate.


Still not much shooting from the Governess's soldiers this turn; they knew that they needed to get into the Farm House in order to achieve their mission and being disciplined warriors they sprinted into the sanctuary of the nearby orchard which they could use to cover the remainder of their approach.

The Marines fired a few ineffectual shots at the sprinting troops but achieved no success.  The missile launcher Marine tried the same gambit as last turn, but again he was too accurate and so his shot failed to deviate.

The female power armoured troops in the wood slogged through the dense undergrowth; but it was so thick that it substantially hindered their progress and as such they were reduced to half of their movement rate. The troops with the carapace armour were already suffering a movement penalty due to their heavy armour and so they decided to skirt around the outside of the orchard in order to maintain their mobility. The remaining squad were still trying to catch up with the main body of the force and so sprinted across the no-man's land that their peers had traversed last turn.



The Marines in the firing line unleashed another hail of bullets at the exposed squad, but again none of the hardy female troops were killed.  Missile Launcher boy tried his trick again, this time firing at the side of the wood in the hope it would scatter inside...How I laughed when his shot was again too accurate and hit exactly where he aimed rather than deviating where he wanted it too.  My opponent couldn't believe it. Usually his shots scatter far wide of where he wants them to land, so it was remarkably ironic that the first time that he has ever wanted them to deviate they persisted in being 100% accurate. I thought at one point he was going to crush his own models! Mwuhahahaha



Again the Governess's shock troops focused on rapid movement and started to mass in and around the edge of the wood. They checked their magazines and fixed bayonets as they prepared themselves for an all or nothing assault next turn!

The Marines knew the final assault was coming and so they too prepped themselves for the final charge. I literally wet myself laughing as the missile launcher repeated it's performance from the previous few turns!! This was a boon as I wanted as many guns as possible for the final assault and any casualties at this point could have swung the odds against me.

At last the time for bloodshed was upon us and carnage ensued.  The girls in power armour slung their bolters and drew their sidearms (+2 to hit at close range for a bolt pistol as opposed to +1 for a bolter). Inspired by these elite troops the PDF followed suit and unholstered their laspistols and levelled them at the nearby Salamanders.  The air lit up as solid bolt shells and blinding laser beams slashed through the walls of the farm house. This volley was brutal and when the dust lifted three Astartes lay dead, their super human bodies riddled with holes, even worse their noble Commander had also lost a wound as a bolt round punched through his ancient armour and by-passed his refractor field.

The remaining Astartes raged at this slaughter of their noble battle brothers; the floor of the farmstead was awash with the blood of the Emperor's finest and someone had to pay for this blasphemy with their lives. 

As one the tactical marines brought their boltguns to their shoulders, aimed along the weapon's iron sights and depressed the triggers of their potent firearms. The miniature missiles flew from the over sized muzzles of the bolters before igniting and punching into the bodies of their enemies; a moment after the the rounds entered human flesh they detonated causing massive internal damage to the targets.



Three of the brave female warriors lay bleeding on the floor, their broken corpses torn to shreds. Before their comrades could register the devastation that had occurred more horror followed as the missile launcher finally hit its target; the plasma missile erupted in a ball of superheated flame and caused a further casualty.

Unfazed by the recent massacre amongst their numbers the planetary forces still decided to charge towards the main building and fired their weapons at the Marines inside killing the missile launcher trooper and one other battle brother.  The gunfire exchange did not let up and as the Astartes returned fire one of the PDF troopers died in an explosion of blood shortly followed by two more female troops.  Additionally the female Captain took a wound from a stray bolt round.

Finally after what had turned into a vicious close quarter skirmish the Governess and her soldiery managed to get a substantial foothold within the main farmhouse.  The female soldiers and their PDF allies pour unrelenting fire into the remaining marines as they breach the compound's broken walls. Another of the Imperium's super soldiers was felled by this mass firepower.

'Give me a hundred Space Marines; failing that give me a thousand normal soldiers.'
There is a reason why Rogal Dorn uttered those words and the Salamanders were about to prove its veracity as they gunned down the last of the remaining PDF troops with pinpoint accurate shots to their faces; popping their skulls like overripe melons. Meanwhile the Space Marine Captain followed up his men's sterling efforts by charging into the female officer and the Governess, foiling their chances of accessing the hidden credits without having to fight their way through him first.

Captain Petror is a consummate killer; honed by the Imperium to be an Angel of Death and he easily cuts down the female officer with a sweep of his blade, tossing her broken body out of the building with a thrust of his hand before turning his homicidal attentions to the Governess.

The remaining bodyguard bundle into the fight in order to protect their charge, they are aware that they are outmatched but still swear to do as much as they can to keep Governess Thatchot alive.  Unfortunately their efforts are for nought as the Governess and the Captain strike each other simultaneously with their over-charged power weapons.  For a moment their is silence, and then both characters collapse to the floor, the life-force draining from their broken bodies.



Having watched both the Governess and their own Commander butchered at the hands of the Space Marines the female soldiers decide that the time has come to withdraw from the fight and consolidate their forces.

Additionally with the two characters dead their is no chance of them fulfilling the objective to recover the treasure from the Farm House. With this in mind they dash towards the table edge while the remaining Salamanders move after them in pursuit.



Conclusion: Phew; what a game! I have to say that this was one of the most enjoyable battles that I have played in a long time.  It was full of tense moments throughout; and although it took a while to get into combat when it did the butchery was immense.  My opponent agreed that this game was more fun than anything modern 40K has to offer, primarily this was because it required the tactical placement of troops and also had a strong narrative element all the way through.  I think what makes Rogue Trader most enjoyable is that a game with 20 models per side their is lots of room to move your troops, ensure arcs of fire are covered and put proper tactics to good effect.  This contrasts with the modern game where there are so many models on the table that you will definitely be able to shoot something no matter where you move!!

All in all this was a fantastic experience; oh and who won?  This is Rogue Trader....who cares!

As for my second retro game today...well we dug out my copy of second edition Space Marine (Epic c.1991) and we spent a few hours engaging in some 6mm carnage...but I will save this battle report for a separate post!!

Old Hammer Rises from the Golden Throne

Greetings all;

This post is a bit different to my previous ones as it's not a 'gallery' of my recent miniatures but more of a discussion topic for people to contemplate.

Unless you have been locked in a box for the past few months then it is impossible not to have noticed the rapid rise in popularity of the Old Hammer movement amongst us old school gamers and even amongst newer converts! It seems that every day a new blog appears full of interesting posts and beautiful photographs of models all geared towards spreading the joys of Old Hammer.  This is coupled with events like Foundry (which I'm gutted I missed) appearing for like minded individuals to gather, have fun and inspire each other.

The question I want to ask is 'Why is Old Hammer becoming more popular?'

Obviously as sentient being (sort of) I have my own theories on this topic and they are as follows:

1) Disillusion: Firstly I believe that the modern GW games (which I do also collect and play) have become too dominated by 'Power Gamers'; 'Power Lists' and a 'Victory at all Costs' tournament attitude amongst the player base; this appears to be actively is encouraged by GW.  I can see why GW as a business would support this outlook amongst it's clientele as it encourages the bulk buying of tonnes of plastic every time a new and more powerful force gets released (which seems to be at a very rapid rate these days); however I can't help but feel its damaging the gaming experience and causing the aforementioned disillusion to take root amongst gamers.  Don't get me wrong tournament style play has it's place, but it shouldn't be the be all and end all of gaming...If we look at it from a different perspective then sometimes a kick about in the park is more fun than a religiously refereed premier league football (soccer) match; gaming is no different!

They seemed to have lost what made gaming fun in the first place all those years ago back in the days of Rogue Trader and Second Edition 40k; this was the notion of using our models to tell a story and experience an unique adventure. This narrative style of play was great and when zany/weird stuff happened it just made it even more enjoyable. The experience of small bands of characters battling on a forgotten Imperial outpost while native livestock ran wild (at the behest of the GM) was just so much more immersive than sweeping giant hordes of nameless drones towards an almost identical opposing force!

2) Nostalgia: This is definitely part of the appeal; let's face it; the stuff we remember from our youth always holds a certain charm that nothing else can ever live up to.  However I think there is still more to it than that; don't get me wrong I know that modern GW figures are far superior in sculpting and flexibility compared to the older ranges; but I reckon the older, metal miniatures had more charisma to them.  I paint models from all eras of 40k and I have to say I enjoy painting the older; cruder sculpts more than the newer plastic/resin that is being churned out.

3) Atmosphere: It has to be said the atmosphere amongst Old Hammer gamers tends to be a bit more relaxed and welcoming than amongst the new generation of toy soldier generals.  I read the majority of the Old Hammer blogs across the web and it seems to be almost universally a very welcoming environment for newcomers.  The majority of articles are well written, accessible and the authors are always responsive to those readers who engage with them; even when people disagree it appears to be done in a very amicable and gentlemanly way. 

This is in stark contrast to other more modern-oriented sites (no names mentioned) where people seem to go at each others throats over minor nuances in army lists that are designed to destroy their opponents at all costs! 

Maybe this ingrained attitude harks backs to the GW stores that we visited when we were growing up; I remember loving going into my local store after school or on weekends. It was always full of regulars (both staff and customers), painting, gaming and chatting. It was a wonderful atmosphere that really engendered creativity and fun; and if I fancied a new product I'd ask the staff and they'd give me their genuine opinion and maybe I would by it or maybe I wouldn't. 

Fast forward 20 years and the whole place is a completely different entity. Many of the current stores seem to be run by one overworked bloke on the verge of a nervous breakdown and forced to meet targets. For example on entering the premises this afternoon I was instantly accosted and given the hard sell about the new Dark Elves; when I explained I just wanted paints the staff member lost interest and assaulted a child and his parent who were trying to by a SM tactical squad.  By the time he'd finished with them he'd forced the reluctant father to buy a battle force and every modelling accessory under the Sun; it was like watching a mugging in action.  It's almost impossible to leave the store without feeling like you've been robbed by a gang member! I understand they are a business that needs to turn a profit, but I'd be more inclined to spend money if the staff didn't make me feel so uncomfortable and try to steal the cash directly out of my wallet.

Well it's midnight and I'm off to bed so that's about it for tonight on my views as to why Old Hammer is on the up and up, but I am sure there are wiser more informed opinions out there and I would really appreciate it if you could expand upon or challenge what I've written above!!

Oh and as an aside I've enticed my mate over tomorrow and we're going to have a bit of Rogue Trader action so I'll try and take some snaps and do a battle report once we're done!!

Nuns...with Guns

Greetings all;

As promised I haven't left it so long between posts this time!

This time around it's going to be something a little different to my usual Astartes theme.  Don't get me wrong; Space Marines will always be my first love, they always have been since I broke open my first plastic beaky marines from the RTB01 box set. However; sometimes it's nice for a change to keep the painting fresh and interesting.

As such I have been working on a little sideline project on and off for a little while; The glorious Battle Sisters of the Adepta Sororitas.  These female warriors of the Imperial church are awesome models, though with the crappy new Whtie Dwarf Codex they are basically Space Marines Lite if you ever bother to play 6th Ed! These is furthe compounded by the fact that the 2nd Ed Codex was one of the weaker of the armies that were released, in fact it even says within the book itself that they will struggle as an independant force and should really be used as allies to other Imperial armies.

One thing that I do like about them is that they are some of the few models still available from GW that are still predominantly all second ed casts...anyway here's a few snapshots of my ladies:

This is my Canoness; the leader of my force and I have to say I'm very pleased with how she turned out. The flames and the power sword have turned out well I think.

The squad above is my latest tactical squad (1 of 3).  The veteran sister is actually an old version of the Canoness from 2nd Ed.  I have to apologise for the poor quality camera work; it was late!

Here are my three tactical squads and a few vehicles that I have recently finished (eagle eyed readers will spot my Rogue Trader Salamanders on the shelf below!)

Here are a few of my girls getting ready to go to war with my mates Imperial Guard force.  They are displayed on a City Battlefield that I have built.  If you look in the top tier of the ruins you can see my female Inquisitor in the red power armour, she frequently takes to the field alongside the Sororitas.

A couple of shots of my banner bearer carrying the old style printed banners thar came with second edition boxsets.  Sadly this model and the old banners are increasingly rare!

I have also just finished three squads of Seraphim for a bit of fast moving, power armoured goodness.  These squads do highlight one problem with the battle sisters models, simply that the lack of variety does lead to a fair bit of repetition.  Once again I am happy with how the power sword turned out.

Finally a quick shot of my six vehicles (4 Rhinos, 1 Immolator and 1 Exorcist.)

I customised the Exorcist using an Immolator kit and a Whirlwind as I really don't like the organ style travesty that is the official GW model.  The Immolator is the resin version from FW.

Anyway that's it for this time around; I hope you enjoyed it!!

Terminate this...

Greetings one and all;

Apologies for the long break in transmission since my last post; I have been remiss in my duties as a keen retro gamer!

I have in fact been on a course with the Army which has limited my access to the world wide web; so really it's not my fault.

On the bright side though while I was away there wasn't a whole lot to do in the evenings so it gave me the opportunity to get some one-on-one painting time with some old school miniatures.

A few months ago I played a couple of games of 40K second ed with two of my best friends (one from the Army and the other is now in the Royal Navy and it just so happened that we were all on leave at the same time).  Anyway during these games both of my opponents deployed squads of Assault Terminators which presently ran amok in my lines and killed everything they encountered take nearly no damage in return... be warned Storm Shields and Terminator Armour is a bithcin' combo!

Well after I finished crying and punching the wall I was motivated to field some of these monsters myself.  My chums had used the new modern era Termies, but in true retro style I managed to dig out some original second ed assault terminators, I stripped off their old paint job and then set to work sprucing them up ready for our next 1990's style battle.

My main army is actually Crimson Fists (an entire battle company plus) so I decided to paint these guys as Rogal Dorn's bluest sons! The results are below:

This is the complete Squad painted up and ready to go.  Three thunder hammers/storm shields should be enough to soak up some punishment from all but the heaviest weapons; plus there are two guys with lightning claws to shred all and sundry to pieces in a whirlwind of blades once the distance has been closed!

And here we have the complete squad in a conga style line a la Space Hulk deployment (which incidentally is another one of my favourtite games that they are likely to find themselves deployed in; after all it would be a shame not to put those close combat weapons to use in destroying the Genestealer menace - 1989 first edition rules only; of course).

 

Above is a close up of each of the individual members of the squad in all their glory.

The one issue with the old school models compared to their more modern counterparts is that due to the limited amount of variation with each miniature there is a tendency for them to end up all looking a bit similar; however I have found that the way to get around this problem is by injecting some differences via the art work on their shoulder pads.  Terminator shoulders are lovely big areas which allow me the chance to try out a bit of free hand artwork as follows:

I chose a lightning bolt for this chap as it seems to be a recurring theme with assault terminators and also he is equipped with lightning claws!

This fellow got a skull as the world of 40k is full of them and I also really enjoy painting them!

The squad Sergeant got a sword as he is an assault terminator and it seemed appropriate; I was going to add wings; but then I thought it would look a little too Death Wing so I went for a stylised '1' (for the first company) and some free hand script.

Veteran/Terminator Cross - self-explanatory really!!

Finally I thought at least one member of the squad should bear the chapter iconography of the Crimson Fists and so this bloke got a nice big red gauntlet. 

Well that's it for this time guys; I promise not to leave it so long between posts next time!! Stay safe; and remember; the Emperor Protects!!