VI Legion Predator

Deimos pattern Predator for the VI Legion Space Marines.

Another 30k vehicle rolls off of the painting table in this posting. This is a Deimos Pattern Predator, painted in the colours of the VI Legion Astrates, the "Space Wolves". The kit is a resin-and-plastic hybrid from Forge World.

Decals are glossy, as the model won't get a final Dullcote spray until the fall.

There are scads of different 30k tanks in today's Horus Heresy gaming, and in general they are all awesome and a lot of fun. Many of them are "new" designs. But there is something about the classics. Just like the Rhinos from an earlier post, the Deimos Pattern Predator model carries an old-school, Rogue Trader era vibe to it, one that nostalgia-types like me just love. This specific picture from an old White Dwarf (also in the 40k Compendium) comes to mind when I think of this vehicle specifically for the Space Wolves, and I wanted to add this vehicle to that growing collection.

A classic image of the original Predator from the Rogue Trader days.

Together with the Rhino, the Land Raider and the Whirlwind, the Predator sits at the original core of the armoured forces of the Imperium, and in Rogue Trader days you could find Predators fighting among the regiments of the Imperial Army as well as in Space Marine Chapters. Over time, the Predator evolved into a vehicle designated solely for Space Marine use. GW has updated the plastic model since the Rogue Trader times (and I have to say, the updated model is pretty nice too and it will be sad when it disappears).

The autocannon on the Predator won't really hurt many enemy tanks, but it chews up light vehicles and enemy heavy infantry.

This 30k model might be a throw-back in terms of design, but the options are much more in step with the more modern 30k/40k game, in that the available weapon choices are quite vast. The vehicle I have painted here is sporting the classic auto-cannon, and a pair of heavy bolters on the sponson mounts at the sides. But you can put all sorts of weapons - twin lascannons, melta cannons, flamers, even conversion beamers (!) on to the turret if you like.

Decals from Forge World's Space Wolf decal sheet.

Steve B built this model for me (around the same time he did the Rhinos in the previous post). And as Steve B is a genius with magnets, he built it so I could swap in some of those other more exotic weapon choices - stay tuned for more on that...

Motor pool for The Rout taking shape at the lake this summer.

Since this is the final post for this years edition of "painting from the cabin", I thought I would toss in one more photo of Lake Superior.

Sunset over Goulais Bay and Lake Superior, just before the Labour Day weekend.

Thanks for reading, hope you are safe and sane, wherever you are!

Rhinos For The Rout

APCs for the VI Legion Astrates.

I have been posting a little run of 40k work from the Lake, but for some of the final postings of painting from the summer I turn the settings on the painting desk back ten thousand years and return once again to GW's Horus Heresy.  This year I have been trying to build up a loyalist force from the VI Legion, the "Space Wolves". It's been pretty much all infantry and air support to this point. Time to get a little more serious with some more vehicles, and with that in mind, here are two Deimos pattern Rhino APCs.  These are hybrid plastic and resin kits from Forge World.

The pair of individually-mounted bolt guns - classic Rogue Trader-era look!

The Rhino is a classic Space Marine vehicle, and I really like how these "Deimos pattern" vehicles are essentially throw-backs to the original plastic Rhino vehicle models from the Rogue Trade-era. The two hatches on the front, the round hatches on the side, and the two individual bolt guns mounted on top, ready to carry a squad of ten marines into battle!

FW makes custom doors with Legion iconography...not the cheapest thing to get, but you'll love the results.

The embossed doors are a nice touch from Forge World, I love the effect. The only downside is that I only acquired two sets of doors.  I would like to add a couple more vehicles, but a "plain" Rhino would look a bit poor beside these fine vehicles...oh well :) With everything happening in the world, is that really a "problem"? No.

Rear access ramp showing some wear from heavy use.

 As with all of the figures painted at the lake this summer, these models have yet to receive the final spray of Testors Dullcote - so that is why you can see the gloss coat beneath all of the decals. The application of Dullcote will wait until summer humidity fades (which seems to be happening at record pace this year, but I digress...).

Another view showing the side hatches with the custom Legion symbols - love those.

Once more, I have to recognize and thank Steve B for his help getting these models assembled. Forge World's "fit" is hardly seamless and even a cursory inspection of the photos will reveal the many difficult spots where kits does not exactly come together easily. Steve - I'm sorry it took me so bloody long to get these painted! I believe Steve put these together for me in June of 2019, I think, if not earlier...but at least I got to them eventually :)

Ready to roll out with The Rout!

Thanks for reading everyone - hope you are staying sane and staying safe.

Storm Eagle for 30k Space Wolves

Storm Eagle gunship ready to fly in support of the VI Legion on the tabletop.

The skies of the real world today might be mostly empty, but the skies of our Horus Heresy are getting little crowded! Here is a Storm Eagle gunship painted in the colours of the VI Space Marine Legion, the Vylka Fenryka - the "Space Wolves". The model kit and decals are from Forge World.

View of the top, showing a crew access hatch, and the rocket launchers (not sure how those get to ground targets, but it's 30k, let's not worry over such things).

As you can likely tell from even a casual perusal of this blog, I am rather passionate about GW's Horus Heresy setting. This leads to the accumulation of more models than I can paint at a given time period, and thus an accumulation of what I like to refer to "pending projects" (makes it sound more organized, less nutty). This model is one such "pending project"....in fact, it was "pending" for well over a year, almost two!

View from the front - twin heavy bolters, ready for strafing - and there is also an access ramp in the nose.

Twin lascannons under each wing.

It's a little precarious up on that flight stand...

Why did it take so long to paint this? Well, all the usual excuses apply...when I paint 30k, I paint tons of it, but then when my hobby-squirrel brain chases other interests (like the Franco-Prussian war, to name a recent example), the 30k stuff waits. But there was something else...this kit is a healthy size, and it was kind of intimidating to consider painting. I procrastinated and made up excuses, worked on other projects etc. while this model, primed and ready, waited amid the "pending projects".

There was an option to mount multi-meltas, but I just didn't see those as "strafing" weapons, and opted for the heavy bolters instead.

Close up of one of the twin-lascannon mounts under the wings.

Enter Dallas, and the wonders of collection escalation! When Dallas sets his mind to a project, he is often quite decisive about it. Earlier this year, he talked about how cool a Storm Eagle would be. He got one. And then he built it, and painted it - and it looks bloody fantastic! I told him if he painted his gunship, it would inspire me to finish one too - and it has! Seeing his awesome IV Legion gunship, I decided to get moving and paint one up for the loyalist side. Since I have been painting a lot of Space Wolves for 30k lately, I opted to paint one for The Rout.

One of the side access hatches.

Main access ramp for troops and cargo is at the back.

As Dallas mentioned in his recent post, these Storm Eagle models have a well-deserved reputation for "being difficult" to assemble. Certainly, it was utterly beyond my skills, and thus I turned to local hobbyist Steve B for assistance - as has been the case with so many vehicles and kits in my 30k collection, Steve was an absolute genius at getting the model assembled and ready to go. He had to put up with numerous issues assembling the model - "green stuff" and card and other things were required in order to make them work.

This is always disappointing to see with such an expensive model kit, but this is par for the course with Forge World kits (not all of them, of course, but enough of them). Certainly I was fortunate that Steve helped with the assembly - I could not have built it properly myself...

A look at some of the decals on the wings...

Another partial profile view of the main body of the craft.

Painting was straightforward, in that I pretty much followed the same steps I use to paint an individual space marine - but of course the size of the model made the process more involved, and it took several days.

I painted the pilot and the cockpit, and then painted the cockpit cover separately, before adding the plastic canpoy. Unfortunately the spars that should go over the canopy to help hold it in place were not packed in the kit properly - there were two for the left side. So I just left them off - they are not strictly necessary.

The base coat was "Mechanicus Standard Grey", followed by a layer of "Dawnstone", a recess wash of "Agrax Earthshade" and edge highlighting of "Administratum Grey". The red is "Khorne Red", edge chipped with "Mephiston Red". I sponge-chipped the whole thing with "Eshin Grey", then went to work on the various lenses, metallics etc. There were a few spots where I was able to make use of GW's new Contrast Paint range...usually on metallic components, a good way to give a bit of colour and/or shade - especially for the buttons on the cockpit controls etc.

WIP,early stages, some base grey and metal paints on the model.

Another WIP photo...this was the 50% done stage...

The decals come from Forge World's awesome legion-specific decal sheet range. These decals are pricey, yes, but they are more than worth it, providing a healthy supply of varied and cool decals. I tried to make the best use of them I could on this model. 

This beast will carry the warriors of The Rout into battle in style, conveying them safely to a hot LZ and then sticking around to provide some fire support. With lascannons, heavy bolters and missiles, the Storm Eagle will bring the vengeance of the Vylka Fenryka to a 30k tabletop sometime soon...at least, I hope it will be sometime soon - our common lament. When the time comes, I have a feeling we will be playing a HUGE game of Horus Heresy...but until then, we can all stay safe and keep painting.

VI Legion models give a sense of the size...certainly this is no Thunderhawk, but it's a big model.

A big thanks again to Steve B - I hope he's happy to see this finally painted! A big thank you also to Dallas for the inspiration and collection escalation, and to the Fawcett gang in general for their energetic embrace of the setting. I remember when I first started the Horus Heresy in 28mm back in 2014, I figured that "it would just be a few models" and that the game would be something niche that I would run from time to time. Instead, Byron, Dallas, Mike and others have all jumped in, and 30k games have been fairly regular occurances...between us we have significant forces we can put on the table for something like ten or eleven of the different Space Marine legions, as well as the Mechanicum and even the Solar Auxilia. We have heretical billboards and Walls of Terra for terrain. The games have all been amazing. Crazy stuff! Anyway, thanks for reading, be safe!

PS - I still have another one of these models to go! We'll see which Legion gets that one... 

Command Group for 30k Vylka Fenryka

Commander & bodyguards for the Vylka Fenryka.

No big surprise with this blog post: I'm back with even more Space Marines! I'm just on a real sci-fi roll right now at the painting table. This is a Space Marine command group - a Centurion, and standard bearer and a pair of body-guards. The commander and the banner-bearer are resin figures from Forge World - they are wearing Mark IV powered armour, burnished with extra fancy bits, like cloaks and combs for their helmets. The two other marines are assembled from an assortment of left over plastic bits. The decals on the figures are from GW and Forge World. These marines are, once again, painted in the colours of the VI Legion Astrates, the "Space Wolves".

A headquarters group like this is an "HQ choice" for the good-ol force org chart, and that tends to bring things together, elevating the assortment of Vylka Fenryka figures I have painted to this point from a scattered and random side projects into a single, coherent force. Naturally, this demands further escalation in terms of additional assets, or course...but a significant waypoint in the evolution of the collection and painting process for the Space Wolves has now been passed.

Awesome sculpt on this figure - I love this command group, great work by Forge World.

Rear view showing the shoulder pauldron & back pack.

The Space Marine Legions of the Horus Heresy setting have a cornucopia of officers, commanders, specialists, medics, engineers and other heroic figures you can choose from to serve as part of your HQ elements, but the core selection of the senior HQ level is this small assembly of a senior officer and three elite associates - referred to the list as "Chosen", one of who carries a banner.

We can have some fun with the wolf-themed symbols on the banner. These are decals from Forge World.

Carrying a banner into battle in such a futuristic setting is a ridiculous anachronism - and I just love it! I mean, it's just obvious that you would do that, right? You step out of your combat-drop-pod or your Storm Eagle gunship or your Lander Raider or your Rhino or whatever and you make sure your banner is present - it is simply how things are done, even amid the grim darkness of the far future.

I love this figure! Great sculpt again by Forge World.

I thought I would try a different colour combo for his shoulder pauldron, to help him stand out more.

This Centurion figure is a favourite sculpt of mine. Normally I hate Space Marine figures who are not wearing their helmets. Space is dangerous! The Emperor spent a lot of money making you! Wear your damn helmet! But this fellow is an exception, because I think the sculptor did a fantastic job on the figure. He looks like he just stepped off a transport, and is wanting to see the situation for himself, with his own eyes. He is cradling his helmet in one hand, ready to bellow some further orders to his underlings, with direction to be reinforced by his power sword if needed. He looks like an actual officer, something that very few Space Marine command figures actually manage to do.

Bodyguard for the command group.

The two additional figures, essentially bodyguards for combat on the table, are composed of a hodge-podge of components...when you are as "in" to 30k as I am, you start to accumulate enough spare bits that you can put together an extra marine here and there...that is what you see here. These fellows have the helmets, shoulder pauldrons and backpacks of Mark III power armour, the torsos and legs from Mark IV power armour, and arms and weapons from one of the new "Primaris" marines. As guards for the banner bearer and Centurion, I figured these fellows would be veteran fighters from The Rout, perhaps the grouchy sort that only gradually replace armour bits as required (hence keeping the 'older' Mark III helmets and shoulder plates).

A little blurry (sorry about the photo). I enjoy the animation on this figure.

The assortment of spare bits came together nicely.

These veteran marines would also have access to cool kit. I thought the "bolt rifles" from the new Primaris marines would do the trick, and I'm pleased with how they turned out. I really like the look of the longer barrel and the (redundant and over-the-top) gun sights.

Ready to lead a Great Company from The Rout into battle.

While I was sure to put a lot of wolf-themed decals on the banner itself (as well as on the markings on the shoulder and leg plates etc), I have again avoided adding pelts or any of that other wolfy-wolf stuff with this command retinue. If I ever add a Rune Priest or something like that, well...someone will likely need to wear a pelt cloak or something, but for now, I like to keep the obvious wolf theme to the decals and the banner, and leave it at that.

I've now got about 50 models or so painted for the VI Legion, but with the exception of a solitary land speeder, this budding band of loyalists is still pretty much all infantry. They are going to need some armoured support to hold up in a game on the table. Stay tuned for more on that...

Thanks for reading, hope you are staying safe!

30k Terminators for the Vylka Fenryka

Tartaros Pattern Terminator armour for the VI Legion.

Some more efforts for my Vylka Fenryka in GW Horus Heresy setting. This is a unit of Space Marines Terminators wearing "Tartaros Pattern" variant power armour. The figures are multi-part plastic kits from GW, and they are painted in the grey of the VI Legion Astrates - the "Space Wolves".

Terminator marines with combi-bolters and power fists.

As with the other VI Legion figures I have painted so far, I am trying to avoid the over-the-top wolfy-wolf stuff with these guys. Often you see Space Wolf marines festooned with pelts (not crazy about that) and, even more often, not wearing their helmets while in combat poses. I am trying to avoid that look as much as I can - so no pelts and feathers or any other nonsense here, although the Forge World decal sheet provides some nice norse-inspired pattern decals that can be used on the armour.

Lots of power augmentation to be able to fire that sort of weapon with just one hand...

Thanks to the extra augmentation afforded by this sort of power armour, the Space Marines can carry even bigger and scarier weapons into combat.

One such weapon is the utterly bonkers "Reaper Autocannon" - the whole thing is bat-sh*t nuts, and I have to say I love the look - so utterly menacing and impractical.  Imagine clearing out various fields of fire with that thing!

Reaper autocannon anyone?

Just look at that bonkers thing...it's one of my favourite bits of 30k silliness!

Most of the marines in this unit carry "combi-bolters". After all, the best way to improve one gun is to just tie two of that gun together, right?

View of the Sergeant's fancy shoulder plates and volkite charger.

The officer has slightly more ornate armour plates, a deadly power sword and an volkite charger, a weapon that looks like a small sidearm in relation to his huge armoured frame.

Ready for service with The Rout.

These models will teleport on to the table and deliver timely fire support and strategic face-punching (courtesy of all those power fists) for the forces of The Rout at some point in the future when we can finally get together for a game.

Thanks for reading - stay safe, and happy painting.

Space Wolf "Destroyer" Squad for 30k

Destroyer Squad from the VI Legion Astrates, the "Space Wolves".

Something very strange has recently happened to our climate here in the Canadian prairies. A blazing orange globe has appeared in the sky, causing the sh*tpiles of snow to finally melt, and we are now confronted with all manner of strange growth appearing in lawns, gardens and forests. Warm temperatures make it possible to be outside of the house without multiple layers of coats and clothing. One can even sit outside for an extended period without freezing. Experts claim this phenomena is known as "spring"...hey, it's weeks and weeks late, but better late than never!

Pistols and grenades all around...but the one fellow is carrying a rocket launcher that can use some pretty terrifying ammunition.

So, my painting rate has slowed with the arrival of nice weather, but I never totally stop painting - I'm kind of obsessed with it :)

My paintbrushes are still locked very much on Horus Heresy subjects at the moment. In this spirit, here is a small addition to my loyalist forces for GW's Horus Heresy setting. This is a "Destroyer Squad", five Space Marines in Mark IV powered armour, equipped with jet-powered jump packs and a variety of nasty weapons. They are painted in the colours of the VI Legion Astrates, the "Space Wolves". The figures are from Forge World, and the decals are from Forge World and GW.

A view of the "jump packs", they let the Marines jump in, get the job done, and get clear.

What is a "Destroyer" squad you might ask? After all, "destroy" a basic function of all Space Marines. What could possibly set this unit apart from the others? It's true - much about The Emperor's Space Marines are scary - they are terrifying, genetically-engineered instruments of total war.  They show up in orbit, and the fate of your world is sealed...the brutality a matter of degree. They either destroy your government (Raven Guard, Imperial Fists, Blood Angels), issue a press release while doing so (Ultramarines), or destroy your capital city, (Sons of Horus, Emperor's Children, Iron Hands, Dark Angels), or destroy every city on your world (Death Guard, Word Bearers, Iron Warriors, White Scars), and maybe kill everyone while doing any of the above (World Eaters, Night Lords), and possibly steal all of the pension funds too (Alpha Legion). Seriously - what war function could possibly cause this bunch any sort of unease?

Yet even among the ranks of the Space Marines, "Destroyers" are something of a breed apart, because they are equipped with terrifying radiation and gas weapons that your average Space Marine Commander - even a very cold, uncaring and jaded one - is reluctant to release into battle - any battle. These fellows carry "rad grenades" and "phosphex" grenades and missiles, in addition to bolt pistols and their nasty demeanour. Assignment to the Destroyer units is not considered much of an honour, and the officers and marines put into those units seem to be ones that the Primarch and the other senior commanders in the legion don't much care for.

A view of the shoulder pauldrons...you can also see the extra layer of amour plated on to the shin guards.

In the 30k setting, "phosphex" is a kind of WMD - can burn right through any armour, even the power armour of the Space Marines, and will also burn the marine alive as well. If it can do this to power armoured troops, think of what it would do to everyone and everything else on the battlefield? Not a practical weapon to unleash, unless you are really desperate or really mad at your enemy...

This is the officer leading the squad...no fancy comb for his helmet (would just get burnt off by the chemicals), but I threw a decal on his chest plate to give him a bit of distinction from the other members of the unit.

Anger and desperation - that is why I painted up such a unit with the loyalist side of the setting. The Space Wolves are The Emperor's executioners, and when they were sent to Prospero to tune up the Thousand Sons, they used every terrifying weapon they had - Horus even "helped" to make sure they could. So the VI Legion put their Destroyer units into the battle.

Later, Once Horus' rebellion started, Legions like the VI were caught on the back foot, ambushed and betrayed...the loyalist commanders were both desperate and really, really, really mad. I can see them shouting down the vox at their underlings - "The prohibited stuff. Get it from the magazines, and get it ready. NOW." In the race to stop the Warmaster and his plans, everything was on the table.

I painted the grenades really bright yellows and reds, trying to emphasize the extra-scariness of these scary fellows.

Of course, it is a perfect 30k twist that the Space Marines would deploy these terrifying weapons in in a relatively up-close-and-personal fashion, arriving on jump packs, releasing their grenades, making sure the job is finished before clearing out, hopefully before any substances they released destroy their own armour. The pride of the Vylka Fenryka is such that they would be reluctant to unleash these weapons, but once provoked by betrayal and driven by revenge, I'm sure the The Rout would not hesitate...

Thanks for reading, and stay safe everyone!

Land Speeder for 30k Space Wolves

Javelin attack speeder for the VI Space Marine Legion, the Vylka Fenryka.

The sci-fi diversions continue! This is a "Javelin Attack Speeder", an anti-grav/skimmer vehicle from the arsenals of GW's Warhammer 30k/Horus Heresy setting. The model is a resin kit from Forge World, GW's sub-unit/division/whatever that is home to 95% of their Horus Heresy products. The vehicle is carrying the colours and markings of the VI Space Marine Legion, the "Space Wolves."

Closer look at the crew - they are wearing Mark IV power armour.

With Space Marine combat kit "light" is a relative term, but this would count as a "light" vehicle for them, skimming ahead for recon duties and flanking actions. For all that "light" sounding role, it still can mount some heavy weapons, and this vehicle has some - a heavy bolter manned by one of the crew, and the option of laser cannons or rocket launchers on the side sponsons of the vehicle. So these speeders can still damage the legion's enemies.

Sensor probe mounted to the front...I am worried about how soon that will get snapped off on the table.

View of the engine mounting on the rear of the craft.

Thanks to magnets, I am able to swap out the missile pods for the laser cannons, depending on the role the vehicle will be expected to play in a given game. This is thanks to the hobby engineering brains of Steve B, who assembled this model for me - for my part, I tend to make a hash of efforts with magnets.

In this photo you can see the rocket pods are mounted on the sponsons.

I quite like the design of this vehicle. Its look is rather different from the other Space Marine combat vehicles - not so brutal, and much sleeker, almost sporty, ready to cruise the town (and then waste said town with laser cannons). The look makes sense given its intended role, but the aesthetic looks as much "Star Wars" as it does grim and dark. It is an interesting mix, and it helps to retain the different/apart look for the miniatures set in the Horus Heresy setting vs. the models set in the "current" Imperium of the 40k setting.

Maybe only one quibble with the design...the long sensor probe mounted on the bow of the craft. It looks cool, but is exactly the sort of thing that will be snapped off, and almost impossible to remount, on the gaming table. Oh well...

Another view of the crew, and the housing for the mysterious sci-fi drives.

Adding a vehicle, even a "light" one, always makes a force a little more "serious", and I'm enjoying this diversion into 30k painting subjects. We'll see what comes next from the painting table. Thanks for reading! Hope you are safe and healthy, wherever you are.

Another Squad for the Vylka Fenryka - 30k Space Wolves

Squad of VI Legion Space Marines in Mark III power armour - multi-part plastic models from GW.

I appear have tumbled down a 30k rabbit hole! Suddenly it seems so hard to get any more Prussians from 1870 painted, when instead I can paint yet more Space Marines for GW's Horus Heresy setting! This is a 10-man squad of Marines from the VI Legion, the "Space Wolves", clad in Mark III powered armour. These are multi-part plastic miniatures from GW.

The famous "shark-fin" style missile launcher - a shout-out to the early days of the plastic Space Marines from the Rogue Trader era.

The "Space Wolves" have been thoroughly ruined over the years, becoming insufferable. These days they are, I suspect, a form of self-parody or something. But here I am, painting some more for 30k - and I really enjoy it.

The sergeant has a comb on his helmet - and is carrying a scary plasma pistol and what I like to call a "tickle glove"...

These plastic Mark III marine kits are just great - really tremendous, I love building them, I love painting them. A great way to relax amid a stressful time.

With the exception of the sergeant and heavy weapon gunner, these veteran marine all carry their own chainsword because, as one does...

I find I really love the slab-grey look, contrasted with the dark bronze/gold metallics. The VI Legion marines look menacing, ready to make their stand in the name of the "Wolf King" and the "Allfather".

The fellow in the middle of the front rank in the photo is carrying a flamethrower...good for cooking dinner, AND the enemies of The Emperor.

I started painting Space Wolves when I opted to start with the contents of GWs "The Burning of Prospero" board game, and have been adding a few models to my small contingent of "The Rout" here and there in the years since. This squad is another modest set of reinforcements. This is a veteran tactical squad, with a couple of special weapons for support.

Decals on the shoulder pauldron come from the box game "The Burning of Prospero".

The power armour variants of the Horus Heresy are a great aspect of the hobby - I really like all of them, but I must say I find the Mark III version, with the mix of segments, rivets and plating, to be the coolest and grimmest-looking of the available options.

The plastic parts can fit any other plastic GW Space Marine kit out there, allowing for a number of easy possibilities to customize the figures. In the case of this submission the model with the "shark fin" style rocket launcher is using arms and a back pack from the Mark IV power armour set. Of course there is a large range of Legion-specific bits that work well with the models as well, available from Forge World.

Pattern of markings on the shoulder pauldron denote a "Great Company"...the higher level formation this squad is attached to.

Overall my collection of VI Legion marines for 30k is still pretty small - somehow the overwhelming majority of stuff I painted fights with the Warmaster :) This post sees my Vylka Fenryka collection grow to just 30 marines led by a single character and backed by a solitary Contemptor Dreadnought armour - enough for a very small game, but if I add a few vehicles and some characters, it will become more than enough for a larger game. Stay tuned for more on this soon!

A Game For Quarantine Times - "The Burning Of Prospero"

"The Burning of Prospero" - Miniature board game released by GW in 2016. Perfect for Quarantine!

With nearly one third of the world's population living under some manner of public health restriction or "lockdown", chances are you are not getting much gaming done! We certainly have not here in Winnipeg. Many folks have tried to use assorted video platforms for everything from completing courses and business meetings to keeping in touch with friends during this quarantine/lockdown period. So, we thought, why not gaming? We used "Zoom" for such a gaming attempt last week - playing GW's "The Burning of Prospero" - and I think it went quite well...it is, in fact, a perfect game for Quarantine Times - and in general, a really excellent game.

The forces laid out for the game's first scenario - "Shatter The Perimeter".

"The Burning of Prospero" was released by GW in 2016. The game is set amid the assault on the Thousand Sons' homeworld of Prospero by the combined might of the Space Wolves and The Emperor's Custodian Guard and Silent Sisters. The box comes with a variety of map tiles, 2D card scatter terrain and effect markers, rules, stats and cards. It also comes with some fantastic multi-part plastic miniatures! You got 30 Mark III Space Marines, five Tartaros-pattern Terminators, five Custodes, five Silent Sisters, and two characters - Azhek Ahriman of the Thousand Sons and Geigor Fell-Hand of the Space Wolves. The figures are all multi-part plastic, and are generally amazing sculpts and kits, all really, really, really nice.

GW has form here - their non-core offerings are often fantastic! The rules for 30k/40k are a calcified collection of endlessly competing circular special rules wrapped tightly in near-ancient IGOUGO rusty chains. GW, however, has shown time and again its ability to publish fantastic rules and games outside of its mainstream products. Their boxed games have a great tradition - I think of games like "Space Hulk" - that combined nice miniatures with card terrains and clever rules mechanisms to create fantastic wargaming experiences. There have been many others.

The Space Wolves ready to move out...

A deadly fire team from the Thousand Sons prepares to defend Prospero...

And yet, for my part, I was originally keen to get this box because it offered a relatively cheap means to acquire to acquire the plastic Mark III Space Marines. In the 30k setting there is a wide assortment of armour variants to choose from, and for my part I generally find the Mark III set looks the coolest...so I was glad to get the plastic marines. I was indifferent to the game itself, and I did not really look at the rules or the game in general. The Marines were allotted to the various existing parts of my collection, and I did not consider ever painting the Thousand Sons or the Space Wolves for the Horus Heresy.

The heavy bolter and the melta gun cover one flank of the advance...

Reading the novel "Prospero Burns" by Dan Abnett caused a total 180 on my thinking (it is a great novel - you should read it!). I painted up a few of the models, and then looked again at this boxed game, found that it might be fun, and suddenly was painting up all of the models for the game. I tried rules out a few times over the years, and found them to be quite fun. We did not play it with the group though - and I never really pushed to. I tend to prefer full, 3D terrain tables etc. and I am very fortunate to game with a group that offers so many choices in that regard.

Given the limitations of trying to game via Zoom, however, I thought "The Burning of Prospero" might just be ideal. Measuring "range" is easy, the board is not huge and would fit (mostly) in camera range for my iPad. The dice used are common among most participants in our group. I dug out the box and the rules, and we set things up to see if this would be workable...

The forces of the VI Legion fan out, preparing for heavy fighting...

And it was! My miniature gaming seldom involved the "board game" approach, and I had never really given this game its due. This is a fantastic game - this is why I think so...

First of all, the quality of the "terrain" panels is really, really top shelf. It is easy to set up on a kitchen table and, while we would all probably recognize/prefer 3D terrain as a superior wargaming experience (YMMV), the bits you get with "The Burning of Prospero" are top shelf - especially if using miniatures is something that is new or different for a gamer. After all, board games are huge, massive! They are just getting better and better all the time, so for board game players, this would be an interesting way to move toward miniature wargaming...

Confrontation in the corner...little did the Imperial side suspect how hard it would be to truly finish off this group of Thousand Sons...

Second - the rules are simple, but fun! There is more abstraction than in a regular game of 30k in the 7th or 8th edition, but subtle differences exist to provide an engaging tactical challenge for players. In particular, I love the use of different dice (note - NOT special, game specific dice). One of the (many) things that so impairs and limits 30k/40k is the fixation on using only the D6. Not so with this game!

In "The Burning of Prospero" players use D6s, D8s, D10s and D12s depending on the armour and weapons involved in a given situation. This is something I wish GW would explore more for 30k/40k rules generally. A further benefit - the combat phase is NOT IGOUGO, but it is still straightforward. I don't see why these concepts cannot jump to the full 30k/40k game.

Psychic powers for the Thousand Sons player...that regeneration power would sure come in handy...

Third - the way psychic powers are handled is fantastic. The use of these powers is key for the Thousand Sons side - psychic abilities are central to the nature and character of the Thousand Sons legion (it's their "thing"), and without them they would have little chance of prevailing against the onslaught of the coalition of The Emperor's executioners featured in the game. The powers are managed via card decks that become a "game within a game" - and are a lot of fun, as some powers drive the Imperial player crazy, and others fizzle, causing heartbreak to the Thousand Sons player. These "magic" type situations are difficult to manage for rules - it is easy to make the spells/power too strong or too weak, but the designers here have it just right, in my opinion.

The "enumeration phase" where the Thousand Sons attempt their psychic powers...the card decks are used to see if the powers are cast, and there is a lot of subtlety (and great fun) to be found - this is well done.

Last week a group got together via Zoom and we played the first scenario in the game, "Shatter The Perimeter". Geigor Fell-Hand and a Silent Sister Superior lead a veteran squad of Space Wovles against a squad of Thousand Sons, supported by a veteran Terminator sergeant. The goal of the Imperial side is to exit at least one model off of the board at either of two designated exit points. Success would represent the Imperial forces pushing further into the city of Tizca, the fantastical capital of Prospero.   

A "lone Wolf" makes his escape...

Over six rounds of play there was a furious battle that saw the Imperial side lose 90% of their troops - ouch! They gave as good as they got, however, and more so - their task made more difficult by the Thousand Sons' success with a particular psychic power that brought models back from the dead. There was one Thousand Sons legionnaire who was resurrected twice. Both sergeants also reappeared on the table after being cut down...and it is hard enough to knock out a Terminator once, never mind twice!

Geigor Fell-Hand and the Sister Superior make their escape at the right of the photo. Maybe we will be able to try the second scenario sometime soon...

In the end, it was a victory for the Imperial side - Fell-Hand was able to lead the Sister Superior and a single surviving Space Wolf off of the board and to victory. Further mayhem awaits in Tizca...

Gaming via Zoom will never replace the real thing. I miss my friends and the chance to get together, push miniatures around and roll dice very much. But this was great fun - many thanks to Dave V, Dallas, Mike F, John and Curt for joining the game. Also, it was great to discover how fun this GW game is - more than fit to follow in the tradition of classic games like "Space Hulk" - something we should play when we get the chance to gather again.