Adeptus Titanicus - New Warlord & New Big Guns

New big Titan, new big guns for AT18!

"Adeptus Titanicus" is about big stompy machines and big guns. With this in mind I'm pleased to share some photos of a new Titan and some new big guns as I slowly  expand my collection of models for the re-booted version of GW's "Adeptus Titanicus". The photos shown here depict a major boost for loyalist forces of Legio Giphonicus with the addition of a new Warlord Titan as well as a wide assortment of new weapons for the loyalist Princeps to choose from.

The newer multi-part plastic Warlord Titans from GW are really amazing.  They are not simple to assemble or to paint, but it's worth it in the end! Here is the latest addition to the collection, and it is showing off the new combos that are available as well.

"Standard" Armament - Apocalypse Launchers and Volcano Cannons

New addition to the War Griffons collection.

Here is the new beast sporting the "basic" weapon load - twin Apocalypse Launchers on the carapace, and Volcano Cannons on the arms. This is the weapon selection that came with the Warlord models in the original release of the game.  In terms of variety, it is uninspiring.  In terms of game effect, well, it is a potent combination. The Apocalypse Launchers are probably the best weapons in the game when it comes to knocking down the void shields of opposing God-engines. The Volcano Cannons, meanwhile, are almost certain to cause serious damage on enemy Titans once you knock out those shields. 

Another view of the incredible detail on these new Warlord models.

There are drawbacks to this weapon load. As blast weapons, the Volcano Cannons cannot make "called shots", so delivering that final coup-de-grace to a stricken enemy is not so easy.  The Volcano Cannons are also power-hungry - each one draws a lot of power from the reactors on the Titan, and over a couple of turns of firing the Volcano Cannons your reactors can start to run really hot, putting the Titan itself at risk (which never seems like a problem until your reactor melts down...).

To address these drawbacks - and give some variety to the players - there are new weapons available to alter the weapon load!  Let's look at some of those.

Carapace-Mounted Paired Laser Blasters

Close-up of the carapace-mounted paired laser blasters.

These are alternative weapons for the Warlord Titan carapace mount.  They are not quite so effective at knocking down void shields - although they certainly contribute to those efforts - but where the Apocalypse Missile Launcher has little chance of harming an enemy Titan once the void shields are knocked down, the Laser Blasters have higher strength and can melt the enemy armour.  

A view of the swapped-out apocalypse launchers on the ground.

The blasters themselves are part of a secondary weapons frame that was initially released with an alternate Warlord Titan boxed kit. The reaction to this packaging choice from the gaming community was...passionate.  GW relented and ultimate put the frame for sale on its own earlier this year, so those who already had Warlord models would not have to buy another whole Warlord just to get more weapons.  The frame is great, because it has even more weapons for you to select for your Warlord Titans, such as the...

Sunfury Plasma Annihilator

Let's take the whole "Plasma Gun" thing to the biggest possible level....

Not a "plasma lighter", "plasma cannon" or a "plasma helper"...it's a "Plasma Annihilator"! Gotta love Adeptus Titanicus! This essentially is Titan-sized version of the weapon carried by your trusty Space Marines in games of 30k and 40k.  It doesn't hit quite so hard as the Volcano Cannon, but it brings the pain, and you can go for extra power by pushing the reactor if you wish.  The same frame that provided the Paired Laser Blasters gives you two of these weapons.  It also gives you an...

Arioch Power Claw

No matter how big you are, sometimes you need to punch the enemy...

A Warlord Titan is a God of the battlefield!  It can level city blocks in one casual blast from miles away! But...there are just times when you need to take care of things "up close and personal", even if you are 10 stories tall.  For a Space Marine Captain, you have a power fist.  For a Warlord Titan, you have the "Arioch Power Claw"!

For the aggressive Titan Commander that likes to see their work carried out up close, the Arioch Power Claw delivers! You won't even need to worry about your enemy's void shields if you maneuver close enough to bring this thing to bear on your foe.  There is a trade-off to be made...while this weapon can devastate your opponents up close, your God-engine needs to survive the approach in the first place. The Warlord Titans are not exactly nimble, and if you equip your Titan with this weapon, you are sacrificing long-range hitting power for something that will not contribute until you are toe-to-toe with the enemy.

Still, it looks cool...and I can think of a few Fawcett Avenue gamers who would, given the choice, opt to include this weapon on their Warlord Titan.

Mori Quake Cannon

The "Mori Quake Cannon" - blast your enemies AND shake them all around!

Even more Titanicus-Good-Times await with the "Mori Quake Cannon".  This weapon has big hitting power and, because it is not a blast weapon, it can be used to make "called shots", targeting a specific location once the enemy's void shields have been caved in.  It has a more-than-decent chance to cause damage to any location of an enemy Titan.

But wait! There's more! The traits of this weapon don't only damage your enemies - they disrupt them, causing movement penalties for the enemy engines and even altering their facing, messing with their deployment and maneuvering plans.  A nice bonus, and good chance for mischief.

This weapon is from Forge World, and so is cast in resin. Forge World also released the....

Macro Gatling Blaster

THIS should be fun...

Have you ever wondered what a cycling-gatling-type cannon firing 150mm shells would look like? So, apparently, did the Adeptus Mechanicus! Behold the "Macro Gatling Blaster", which brings Princeps the joys of high rates of fire and a decent weapon strength.  As we all know, "gatling" = "awesome".

Why not have two of them?

This also a release from Forge World.  I liked it so much I got two of them - one for each arm - just in case one of the guys wanted to roll a Warlord with two of these things mounted up:). You might see in the photos that the painting finish on one of them is a touch challenged - this stemmed from a spray-priming incident (f*** spray cans!!!).  I just painted it up anyway, and will chalk the whole thing up to "battle damage".

Vulcan Mega-Bolter for Reaver Titan

Vulcan Mega Bolter on the carapace of a Legio Griponicus Reaver Titan.

The Warlord Titans are not the only ones getting new weapon options.  I finished a warp missile rack last week, and now we also have the carapace-mounted "Vulcan Mega-Bolter". Almost sounds like an Ork named it...

Not the fanciest-looking weapon in the arsenal, but a real threat to the void shields of enemy engines.

This weapon will not do too much damage to enemy god-engines, but it is great for stripping void shields, setting enemies up to receive devastating kill shots. It's all about team work...yes, teamwork is still a thing, even in the grim darkness of the far future!

Loyalist Warlord Titans on maneuvers...

Updated "family photo" of the loyalist forces...six Titans and two Banners of knights...not bad...

Now that I have given a large boost to the loyalist side of my Titan collection, I expect I'll turn to the Warmaster's side of the conflict...but reliable intelligence indicates that some fellow Fawcett Avenue gamers have purchases some new Titans themselves, and that some of these may be for a Titan Legio that supported Horus...stay tuned for more on that!