Update

Its been a while since I last posted. I must also remind Gabe to contribute again.

We have been busy. Or at least I have. During the past few weeks I finally completed that Tank Company box set I got nearly two years ago. Spearhead made that worthwhile.

The Russ are not as yet painted, but they are at least constructed.

More soon. Promise.

SM Biker army update

Apart from being side-tracked by some craters, I have made some decent progress on the bikes.

I will post some pics soon.

I am debating adding to my 5th Company units some heavy firepower in the shape of Multi-Meltas and Heavy Bolters - as an alternative choice. The missile launcher is a jack of all trades and master of none. It would be nice to have the chance to use a MM or HB - which like the missile launcher, is free. It means buying some more Devastator units to make up the required figures.

Or.

I could mix my 5th & 2nd Company units.

In other news (as they say), I have pre-ordered a copy of Space Hulk. Not sure its worth but I think my sons will enjoy playing it. We shall see!

GW Road show at the Metro Centre

It was the usual manic Apocalypse fun - only this time everything was provided.

It was an enjoyable couple of hours. Both Nick and Gabe participated - Gabe on the Ork side (of course) and Nick with the IG.

The IG side was being overwhelmed so I was asked to take over some boy scouts - the Ultramarines - to rescue the struggling Guard. Well true to form the GW guys managed to steer the game to a nail biting draw. Very nicely done methinks!

The road show was impressive. Some very nice models and check out that board!

A vid scanning across the board:

SM Biker army

I have spent the day pondering (ok - just part of the day!) what I might have in a 1500pt biker army. The trouble is you dont get many bikes for your money - or points. So I am left wondering if in fact any biker dominated list would ever be much more that a list for fun. Whatever the case may be I intend to proceed. I have the models. Just have to make them.

First up is my KOR’SARRO KHAN equivalent - Captain Fuller of the 5th Company. So bikers as troops.

I want a reasonable assault option so I am including a second HQ - a chaplain on a bike.

I will take a couple of Tactical squads and equip them with transport - a Rhino and two Razorbacks (LC & HB).

My first biker squad will be the assault unit. With seven bikes, two flamers a Sarge with a Power Fist and melta bombs they should be able to take on most opposition - particularly if the Chaplain joins them. Mind you I will be avoiding Genestealers and their like! Unless there is some very good reason to sacrifice the unit... I figure that catching a unit in enfilade with the flamers & bolters prior to the actual assault will be quite effective.

The next two bikers squads are similarly built. Six bikes with an attached attack bike (AB). One squad will have two plasma guns and the AB will have a heavy bolter (HB). The primary role of this squad is shooting up troops & light armour but the Sarge carries a power sword and melta bombs. Assault is possible...

The second squad is the primary anti-armour unit. It will have two meltas and the AB will carry the multi-melta. Again shooting is the role but the Sarge is similarly equipped to assist with close encounters. For this squad, the main target will be primary armour and montrous creatures.

And that is it. 21 bikes! It seems a lot but it is only three squads. With the tactical SM there are only five squads in all, seven units in total. Not a whole lot. It will be fun - I hope!

5th Company Bike Force Recon (1500)

HQ (2)

Captain Fuller [KOR’SARRO KHAN equivalent]

Chaplain [Combi-flamer, bike]

TROOPS (6)

(1) Squad Pugna (strife) : Rhino & Standard Squad (10)

(2) Squad Bellum (war) Alpha: LC Razorback & Tactical Squad (5)

(3) Squad Bellum (war) Omega: HB Razorback & Tactical Squad (5)

(4) Bike Squad Tigris (tiger): 6 Bikes [2 melta, SGT PW & melta Bombs] & Attack Bike [MM]

(5) Bike Squad Lamina (sword): 7 Bikes [2 flamers, SGT PF & melta Bombs]

(6) Bike Squad Pardus (leopard): 6 Bikes [2 plasma, SGT PW & melta Bombs] & Attack Bike [HB]

(19 bikes and 2 Attack Bikes - 21 total)

ELITE (3)

NONE

FAST ATTACK (3)

NONE

HEAVY SUPPORT (3)

NONE

EDIT: The list had an error in it - transports are dedicated. Now tweaked and corrected.

Alternative missions

One of the 'mission' types in Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) involved attempting to get as many armoured vehicles off the opposite board edge as you could by the end of the scenario. This was frantic fun and often quite hard.

A further variation was to have a 'meeting' engagement with both armies entering the board from opposite ends and attempting to exit as many vehicles as possible from the opposite side.

I fancy this would be fun for both Apocalypse, modified Planetstrike and normal games. But with a few tweaks.

Firstly and most importantly most armoured vehicles in WH40K are SLOW. Very slow. As in British infantry support tank slow (circa early WWII). If you assume entry along the 'short' edge of the game board then you face a journey of some 72". This would take a lumbering Leman Russ up to 12 turns to cross moving the minimum of 6" per turn.

Not really good enough. Even if you entered on the 'long' edge, moving the minimum distance per turn, getting to the opposite side would take up to 8 turns.

To make this kind of scenario/mission work, I think you need to up the speed of armour - say add 6" movement across the board.

Thus a lumbering Leman Russ would move 12" plus D6. Fast vehicles get VERY fast.

I rather think a battle based on this kind of scenario would be manic fun. I better get assembling and painting my tank companies... not to mention my SM Biker army. More on that later!

PlanetStrike!

Gabe and I attended the big PlanetStrike battle. With a total of 12000 points and eight people playing, it was quite a battle.

But before we got to that battle Gabe used his force in a normal battle (it was still a legal force) and crushed some poor IG player. This kid had no prior experience of 'nids and became Genestealer fodder. 'Stealers with 'scuttlers' is nasty!

The PlanetStrike/Apocalypse battle mission was to locate some data hidden in one of the bastions and other large buildings held by the defenders. With Gabe on the defending side I was expecting more 'stealer mayhem but he was getting tired. He didnt bring his 'stealers on until much too late.

In the meantime my largely Fast Attack based SM force had destroyed two bastions, a Land Raider and found the data.

And then it got weird. Well ok, it was already weird. The teams consisted of SM, Chaos and nids - on both sides. A most unusual set of allies. But that's not all. To win the Attackers had to get the data to a Valkyrie and fly off. To do so by the end of turn 5 involved a relay. From my Assault marines to my bikers. From the bikers to some 'nid Warriors and from the Warriors to the Valkyrie. Who then fly off into the sunset or something.

You have to love those pick up games (even organised ones) in GW shops!

Beach Party

Hey I have been busy - so no complaining!

Here are some snaps from the mad beach party held at the GW Metro Centre store. I am certain I suffered permanent eye damage from the clobber the staffers were wearing!







Tomorrow we have the battle for Endo III. Gabe has decided to defend with his 'nids - I will be attacking.

I have decided to go for a more experimental list for my first Planetstrike game. A bit of fun where I can use my Assault marines in numbers. Should be amusing one way or another!

Warboss

Still working on the Orks. First up the big ugliest one.

From Warhammer 40K

From Warhammer 40K

Yeah I am not the greatest painter but its good enough for us!

WHAT?!

Me dad does not think I can get 1000pt done over 6 weeks? Well I will show him!!

Talking about WIP...

I just had to photo this. Its not everything...

From Warhammer 40K

So much to do, so little time!

Summer WH40K and Orks

From Warhammer 40K

Huh? It's a DeffKotpa - a WIP. Finally doing Gabe's AOBR Orks.

Yeah its time for a change of pace for Gabe. 500pts of green skinned mayhem is just the ticket. A nice change from his 'nids.

And I have made some very rash promises in the GW's 'oath'. All kinds of daft promises. Oh well. I just hope they don't expect me to paint, etc, in-store - no chance of that! No time!

I am hoping we can get to a number of the GW activities in the MetroCentre. Starting on July 23rd with the Endo III battles and continuing with the Macragge battle, 'How low can you go' and a kill team (survival horror?) game. Kudos to Mal and team - I am sure Gabe and I will enjoy this lot.

Another promise - some photos of the events here on this blog. Watch this space!

Meanwhile I have also promised to play far more games that I possibly can manage, to paint up some of my undercoated Landraiders, Rhinos and - yes AND, start, construct and paint some CC Termies and finish my Sternguard.

Not much eh? At least I didnt make daft promises about my forthcoming SM biker army. I have four boxes of DA Ravenwing (for my own chapter - they are good value biker boxes). I believe a WH40Kers work is never done.

Gabe promised to paint up some of his remaining & outstanding 'nids. To do 1000pts worth in fact. I will believe it when I see it!

1000pt game: Tyranids vs Space Marines

I never know how these battles are going to pan out. My younger son can play a very canny & cunning game indeed... or he can bunch up his army and charge down a kill zone. With predictable results.

We rolled for mission type and deployment and ended up with seize ground & spearhead. Gabe had set up a fair amount of terrain (which suits him). His army consisted of a couple of zoanthropes, a shooty Carnifex, a broodlord with genestealers... and a fair number of gaunts/hgaunts.

I brought along 2 ten man tacticals with rhinos, a bike squad (with MM attack bike), a whirlwind (first time I have used one), a dev squad and a captain.

The objectives were placed with one being on top of a large hill more or less central on the board. I thought this would be the critical point to fight over. The other two objectives were close to the deployment areas and we would capture these on the first turn.

I swept the bikers around his left flank, hoping to take out the zoanthrope there, and then beat up the broodlord. My dev squad had a nice line of fire on the carnifex and started up a dual with that beast.

One tactical squad captured the right most objective and my other tactical unit, with rhino, captured the central objective. The capt rode with this squad.

Gabe wrecked this rhino and I lost two of my dev squad. In fact I started to lose causulties all over the place from his shooting. But my dev squad ultimately won the dual with the carnifex and the Bike squad took care of the zoanthrope. But although I had damaged his advancing troops & broodlord, he was still able to assault the central objective.

Predictably, the broodlord & genestealers finished off the captain and the remaining squad members - capturing the central objective.

This meant that he could benefit from the full fury of my other units, including the whirlwind. In one turn of heavy firing, the hill was cleared. But I couldnt capture the hill - I only had one troop left.

Gabe though decided to call it a day. He believed that he couldnt win. I tried to explain my problem but he was convinced. I think he was wrong. He had three surviving troops and he could have gotten within 3" of the central objective forcing me to move to get LOS. Arguably my bikes might have been able to clear the troops or at least contest the objective. It would have been hard for him, but he did have one surviving zoanthrope which could have done some serious damage to my bike squad.

In all I don't think he should have given up.

As for myself. I was wishing I had split one of the squads into combat squads. Oh well.

It was a good game. And its been a while.

The Three Wolves Chapter

Since it has been rather quiet round here of late I thought it a good idea to document some aspects of my home-grown Space Marines chapter.

The name is derived from what is supposed to be our family coat of arms which features three wolves (black wolves on a white background).

The chapter is from the second founding, from the Ultramarines. They are known (surprise, surprise) as the Wolves of Guilliman.

I wanted to give this chapter some unusual characteristics for Apocalypse play to entertain my own wee wolves - da boys.

So here are the colour schemes, courtesy of the excellent B&C.

First up the 1st Company & First Company Assault specialists, the Red Wolves (respectively):

The Second & Third companies (left to right):

The Fourth & Fifth companies (left to right):

The Sixth & Seventh companies (left to right):

The Eighth & Ninth companies (left to right):

More on the chapter's history, tactics and such later...

Bah!

We managed to miss the last couple of weeks events at the GW Metro Centre. Nick and I even painted up some figures for the painting competition... and then missed it!

We missed out on the Kill Team event during half term and the Orc Apocalypse event this Saturday.

On the other hand preparations for Nick's 13th birthday party - an Apocalypse game at the GW Metro Centre - are now in hand. I had intended to get some thick plastic modelling sheets to make a pyramid. Since I will not have time to get those, I have resorted to using foam. I have cut the basic shapes and prepared the base. I will post up some pictures once I have the means (no decent PC at the moment).

So watch this space - some project logs to follow!

The battle will feature the Necrons controlling the 'nids through some arcane scary technology. Worse - some Tau have joined up with the Necrons - the promise of advanced forbidden tech was just too much to resist! Can the SM & Tau scratch alliance destroy the the Necron device and renegade Tau? Will the Imperial Inquisitor manage to hold together the fragile alliance? Will the battle degenerate into a three way blood bath?

Only time will tell...

The battle is planned for March 15th.

Games Workshop Customer Service

Yeah the GW is expensive but there are some good reasons for that.

First of all you have the retail outlets with their very helpful staff. The enjoyment we have had in the game is in no small part due to the efforts of Mal & team at the Metro Centre.

Then there is the remarkable replacements policy.

For Xmas I got Gabe (The Evolved here on WWE40K) the Hive Mind Brood. This include a bunch of Zoanthropes and Tyrant Guard. We didn't look at these models until the last few weeks when I got down to assembling them. I turned to the Zoanthropes first.

All four of these models had two tail sections and no spine sections. All of them. We have made a lot of models since August 2007 and we have only found two problems. Now I find four at once.

So I ring up GW. The guy on the phone (more about him in a mo') sends out four replacements without any argument or dissembling. I was quite surprised. Considering the hassle we have had in recent times from other retailers this was a blast of fresh air. Wonderful.

So I put aside the Zoanthropes (pending the arrival of the new ones) and set to on the Guard. Only to find they are the Classic model. You know, the one with the shield and whip. Well they are interesting but Gabe was clearly disappointed. I mentioned this to Mal who advised me to ring GW again. Now there is nothing functionally wrong with these models. They just are not the new versions.

On the phone to GW I end up speaking with the same guy. We end up chatting and it turns out he also from Blackhill in Consett. He duly sends replacements. To compensate Gabe for his troubles, he sends no less than six of the new Guards plus two of the Classic Carnifexes. I was rather surprised again... and will confess that I didnt believe it!

Well shame on me because lo and behold the parcel arrives with all present and correct. Gabe was (and is) absolutely delighted.

I am now onto the fifth of the Tyrant Guard. He will have enough Guards to escort both of his Hive Tyrants. Methinks my Space Marines need some reinforcements!

Knee deep in 'nids

I have at last finished the battleforce worth of 'nids for Gabe. When I say 'finished' I mean 'assembled'. They still have to be painted.

One of the three Lictors came with two right-hand legs. Great eh? Worse the Terminus LRs (LRT) had some malformed parts. Crucially these were the pillars used to attach the sponson mounted twin linked lascannon. I managed to fix up one of the models but the second was much too warped. Fortunately I had some bits left over from the LR Crusader. Duh. Thought of that lot too late for the first LRT.

I am currently planning on having the day off on Friday as I am expecting the terrain board (6'x6') to arrive... or at least 'this week' was the estimate. Unfortunately no sign of any confirmation on delivery times. More on that later.

The Kaiser Rushforth cases have proven their worth. Yeah the boxes are cardboard but the card used is more than adequate. More importantly the foam inside is excellent. So much so I have started replacing the foam in my large GW case with KR foam. So if you are looking for excellent value for money cases, I can definitely recommend the KR stuff.

KR are pleasantly efficient at order fulfillment as well. Always a nice touch.

Meantime I need to work out how many cases I will need for my growing vehicle armoury.

Apocalypse Day

So we were going back in the car and dad said "There is an apocalypse on." and I said "we can go watch." and he said "no we can go play." and then next week we were there.

When we got there wasn't much on the table but when we got unpacked there were lots of difference. Dad was against us and we started. First it looked like we were going to win but they got 5 extra people and we only got one. First dad shot his baneblade and got rid of half my army. Then it got stunned and missed a go and I assaulted some space marines.

About 4 turns later another quarter of my army is gone but the baneblade was stunned 3 times. At last the match comes to an end and the space marines won but it was great.

Apocalypse!

I have requested the boys get their accounts of the battle but they are slow... so here are some pics to tide you over.

The GW shop at the Metrocentre Gateshead hosted an Apocalypse special last Saturday. We attended with Nick's friend Chester.

In the photos you can see Chester, Gabe and Nick. I should have stood back and took some pics of the whole table. Oh well.

I ended up in charge of the Baneblade and apart from the very satisfying destruction of a significant portion of Gabes 'nids, the 'blade spent most of the time 'stunned'. Hey ho. Missed the 'stealers as well.

Even so the look on Gabe's face when the dinner plate blast template came out was priceless!

My Tyranid Army

I decided to collect the Tyranids because I heard about the overwhelming horde and lethal melee skills. Along with some cool rules e.g secret deployment overwhelming numbers. But the best bit is they look disgusting!!!!!

One of the biggest models in real life its tongue would be at least the length of two cars!!!!! The model is called a Carnifex.

My Necron Army

My Necron army is really annoying for my enemies. Because of my "ill be back!" rule which allows my Necrons to come back to life because of there unique ability to repair themselves. But there is a bad side where if I lose 75% of my army it goes !!POOF!! and the rest of my 25% percent of my army phases out.



My army consists of 3 squad's Necron Warrior's 6 pariahs, 3 Destroyers,8 Necron Ankle biters and a Necron Lord which a canny ability to resurrect Necrons that have been blown to tiny bits from lascannon and other lethal weapons and he also has a ability teleport away from close combat for example 8 genestealers and broodlord and 6 pariahs and Necron lord and the Necrons are losing and the Necron lord can teleport all of his squad disappears to a safe locaton and starts to shoot the genestealers.