Plenty of Fist!

There's no end to the jokes with this army, none of which are safe for all audiences.

Here are 2 tanks I finally completed for the I.F Legion. I decided against the all yellow color scheme for the bulk of my vehicles. Yellow is tricky to paint with the method I'm comfortable with, so I've primarily gone with a black color scheme with yellow detailing. I'm also reluctant to paint a school bus! The fluff supports the color scheme, as some of the elite Fist companies are the precursor to the Black Templars (yellow instead of white) and primarily use black. These will be in action of Sunday for our first Battle of Terra game. Dallas has been painting up a few eyebrow raising units for his Iron Warriors (Apothecary squad?) that I don't really have an answer for at this time. Since these are freshly painted, Dallas's 10 man missile terminator squad will likely make short work of these. I need to get that 10 man Lascannon squad ready!

Imperial Fist Terminators and Contemptor

Another couple of units completed including a few Elite options and a badly needed HQ for the Fists. The Fists first outing wasn't as brutal as I thought it would be. They suffered the brunt of the Iron Warriors heavy firepower, but they managed to keep them occupied until the end of the battle.

 

All from the Calth box I believe.

 

I'll use this figure as my HQ choice for now. I have a proper HQ unit assembled, but not primed.

 

The first of 3 Contemptor's with Forgeworld decals.

 

Up next is a Sicaran tank and Proteus Land Raider.

20 Marine Imperial Fist Legion Tactical Squad

I finished this unit about a week ago, but only got around to basing them today. It took me a long time to complete this unit, but I'm happy with the results. Next up is a Terminator squad, Contemptor and terminator Centurion. I'm hoping they go a bit quicker.

Imperial Fist Legion Tactical Squad

I finished my second unit of Imperial Fists. Progress has been slow with this project, though not for a lack of painting. The Mark III armour is very challenging in general and the yellow makes it worse. I am quite happy with the results however. Dallas asked if I was going to weather them up. I initially balked at this as it took so long to paint the yellow. I changed my mind after considering the state of the loyalist legions during the Horus Heresy. Considered from the Imperial Fist point of view, they are in seriously deep s#!t. 3 Legions nearly destroyed, 3 legions apparently building a new Imperium in Ultramar (terrible book by the way) and the Space Wolves and White Scars off doing God knows what. The Imperial Fists are pretty much it and I can see them being tasked to help put out every little flare up in Segmentium Solar, in addition to trying to re-enforce Terra for the inevitable apocalyptic invasion by Horus. Sending their armour off to the cleaners is probably on hold for now. So after some research on Youtube I came up with a weathering strategy that I think worked well. I used weathering powders for the lower legs and feet. Yellow armour is very unforgiving with weathering powder. Too little isn't visible on the model, but too much and it looks like they're wearing thigh high leathers. I think I found the right balance.

This was originally supposed to be a small army, but a never ending stream of packages from Canada Post have made it anything but. Still not equal to the traitor forces accumulated by Greg, but with Dallas' Blood Angels and some Shattered Legions' we should be able to have a Battle of Terra game in the new year (probably not the new year.) Next up is a 20 man Tactical Squad.

Imperial Fists 1st Squad Done

Finally finished my first squad of Imperial Fists. It took me a while to figure out the best technique and color combo. The key was a final wash of Casandora Yellow. You can't tell from the photo, but they really don't look that bright a yellow...I don't think. The longest part of the process is layering the yriel yellow. Hopefully the next batch go quicker. The other pain is using the transfers instead of special shoulder pads. I had some dark moments where I though an emergency order to Forgeworld or their Chinese wholesaler ;) was needed. Luckily, after applying vast amounts of microset and microsol, they're mostly smooth. I may need to trim the next batch of transfers a bit closer.

Imperial Fists for Iannick

Defenders of the cabin! VII Legion Veteran Tactical Squad

There are some fantastic people out there in this hobby, and Curt's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge has afforded me the opportunity to connect with a number of them over the years.  Iannick M is one such person. During this most recent edition of the Painting Challenge he provided me with a great deal of information, guidance and some figures for a project I have simmering in my vast "pending pile" - an Oldhammer project I hope to get started on more fulsomely in the fall.

Iannick was kind enough to send along a number of figures to help this project along, and agreed that we would figure out the payment later. Figures now, with consequences later - the wargamer's dream! To thank Iannick, I offered to paint him some figures if he liked.  He thought it over, and we settled on a squad of 28mm Horus Heresy-era Marines in Mark IV armour.  He gave me a choice between four different loyalist legions - the Blood Angels, the White Scars, the Salamanders and the Imperial Fists.  He asked that I make a choice, but he wanted to be surprised - sounded like fun to me!

Veteran Sergeant ready for battle

I used the new "urban" bases from GW as an experiment - they were kind of neat, I might try this out with some of my own figures.

So here are the figures that I painted for Iannick. As you can see, they are from the VII Legion, the Imperial Fists.

There were a few reasons I chose this Legion from the options Iannick requested.  The Imperial Fists are one of the coolest Legions (you know, for loyalists). Where the Ultramarines run around getting trapped and ambushed and dreaming up committees and flat tax proposals, the Imperial Fists do real fighting, get real results, and don't need daily affirmation. Story-wise, they were present for the Siege of Terra, which to my mind is THE penultimate setting for 30k.

Love the custom helmets Forge World did for the VII Legion

Holstered bolt pistols on the right hips, backup weapons for close action.

Plus, that yellow looks really cool! I have painted many Imperial Fists for my Epic 30k forces, but the few 28mm test models I have attempted over the years were less-than-inspiring. As such, I went elsewhere to try some loyalists, opting for Raven Guard.  But Iannick's little challenge got me wondering if just one more attempt might find success, so I went for the Imperial Fists to see if I could pull off the yellow without using witchcraft (i.e. white base coats or airbrushes). The VII Legion it would be...

The "shark fin" missile launcher - a brilliant touch from GW

A useful and flexible weapon, particularly in the 8th edition of the rules

This is a 10-man Veteran Tactical Squad with a missile launcher and melta gun.  The Sergeant has a plasma pistol and lightning claws.  The figures are plastic multi part plastic from GW Mark IV Space Marine kits, but the squad has some enhancements from Forge World, namely custom shoulder pauldrons and heads, and a fancy torso for the officer. I also tried out some new bases from GW - these are the "urban" bases.  I'm generally skeptical of "terrained" bases, but these look pretty sharp.  I might look to try these on some of my own figures. 

Melta gun to assist with "home cooking"...

A couple more of the regular veteran grunts.

I finished these fellows at our cabin near Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, and shipped them off last week. I was pleased with the results, but more importantly, Iannick likes them, which is what matters, so I'm glad it all worked out! 

VII Legion units mustering near Whitefish Bay on Lake Superior before boarding a drop pod that would take them further east...

Part of the fun of this for me is spreading the passion for Horus Heresy gaming to new folks (Byron might call this "corrupting" but I like to take a more optimistic angle).  Hopefully Iannick will tilt ever further down the slippery slope of 28mm Heresy gaming...right now he's at the "just a small force stage"...let's see how long that holds...

Bad Moon Orks

I took custody of an old Ork army from a friend of mine. They had been somewhat neglected and I'm in the process of rehabilitating them. I've made several purchases since. After plugging in some numbers with the new index book, I'm starting to think I've overdone it as I'm well over 2000 points and haven't even added in the most expensive units.Yellow is tricky, but I learned a lot about painting it doing working on these guys.

This was supposed to be the start of a new project, but I've been seduced by 30k. Seeing Greg and Dallas assemble MK III models from the Prospero box (Greg should be receiving commission by now) I ordered a bunch of stuff from Ebay and decided to jump in. Ever resistant to change and preferring the status quo, I've opted for Imperial Fists. I figured another Loyalist Legion was needed and they would complement the Blood Drinkers Dallas has painted up for what may one day be a Battle of Terra game. Below is an unfinished test model.

Death Guard Bloodied - Epic 30k Battle Report

Super heavy tanks from the 14th Legion prepare to bring hope and change to another world in the so-called "Imperium"

I was very pleased to host some more Epic 30k carnage last week! The game was notable for a couple of reasons.  For one, my great friend, Fawcett Avenue Conscript founding member and Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge host Curt was in town for a quick visit.  Curt loves 30k and loves Epic, so I knew an Epic 30k game would be a fitting way to mark his appearance here in Winnipeg. A further bonus is the game offered the chance for Byron to get his Epic 30k Death Guard force out on to the table for the first time.  Byron completed a Death Guard force during his mad-cap participation in the most recent edition of Curt's Painting Challenge (see here for example of this work, including his Epic Death Guard).

We all know what happens to newly-painted figures when they hit the table for the first time...I wanted a scenario that would ensure the baptism-by-fire happened in a fun and orderly fashion.  So the basics were simple...seize three objectives, or cause six formation breaks on the opposing force.  Byron had painted some drop pods for his troops, so I set up a drop-pod assault, backed by Titans and heavy armour.  The Sons of Barbarus would confront the loyalist dupes of the Imperial Fists, with both sides backed by Titans!

A view of the table as hostilities commenced

There was one other wrinkle - only infantry stands could capture an objective.  Even if you slaughtered all the infantry, you would not win it back unless you sent your own foot-sloggers into the breach.  I hoped this might balance things a little...both sides had oodles of firepower, but the loyalists had only two infantry detachments, giving the rebels a slight advantage in terms of grabbing the objectives, and forcing both sides to consider the use of their Marines carefully with Titans and super heavy tanks all over the place...

Drop assault! The Death Guard grab one objective...

I set the game for six turns, but with so many big guns on the table, we kind of knew it wouldn't last that long...Byron and Mike F took command of the Death Guard forces, while Curt and Dallas commanded the deluded loyalists fighting on behalf of the so-called "Emperor".

The engines of Legio Gryphonicus prepare to move out

Legio Mortis makes ready to bring hope and change...

Byron's Death Guard landed three detachments via deep strike - two tactical detachments landed in drop pods, while an assault detachment landed via jump pack.  They captured two of the three objectives, and plotted to use a detachment of Terminators riding in Spartan APCs to capture the third one.

Another drop pod landing...the Sons of Barbarus prepare to capture the objective

Curt and Dallas knew the Death Guard might capture that third objective at any moment, and so took very prompt action to, er, "liberate" one of them, using a Reaver and a Warhound to absolutely ventilate the relevant building.  Fight for the 14th Legion they said...anyway, it was a tough go for that tactical detachment as they disappeared beneath templates fired by the apocalypse launchers, and then the gatling cannons, and then the volcano cannon, and then the plasma blastgun, and then the vulcan mega bolters...you get the idea...

Forces clash in Epic 30k - note the Spartan and surviving Imperial Fists fleeing in the top right of the photo after the Death Guard assault detachment saw them off...

Note the pending retribution for the Death Guard assault detachment...lots of firepower prepared to exact revenge...ouch!

Byron and Mike did not quit, however, but they doubled down instead! They sent the assault detachment forward to confront an Imperial Fist tactical detachment mounted in Spartan APCs, routing them before they could even dismount! Mortarion would have been proud, and would have promoted the lot of them...if any had survived the follow-up counter-blow from the Legio Gryphonicus engines...wow, the Horus Heresy is brutal!

Death Guard armour and dreadnoughts move forward

The Loyalists buckled down and focused on another objective, concentrating fire on one of the Legio Mortis Reavers and destroying it, and then capturing an objective back from the Death Guard thanks to the support of Titans and a Glaive super-heavy tank.  For their part Byron and Mike suffered from some bad luck on the command rolls, and could not get their Terminators to the third objective in time.  By the time they did, concentrated fire from Dallas' and Curt's formations broke a sufficient number of rebel formations to cause the Death Guard to fall back, and plot their revenge...

"Great job! We captured an objective!"

Somehow the loyalist fools have captured an objective back! That Titan was soon to be at an end as the loyalists concentrated their fire...

In all, a hard-won victory for the loyalist side.  The objectives were tempting to seize, but not easy to hold, particularly with lethal firepower stalking all over the table. I absolutely love the 30k setting (as you can tell with a brief search of this blog) and I have to say that the Epic rules engine is an absolutely marvelous match for it.  The scale allows for the large sweep of troop types, vehicles and Titans to appear on a 6' x 4' table in a way that is hard to achieve with 28mm figures, and the rules mechanics are just excellent for offering the flavour of the setting, along with brutally efficient combat resolution.  Players must make decisions and can't do everything they want, creating some command tension without undue complication.  Epic really was a fantastic set of rules...

This poor tactical detachment from the 14th Legion was broken a second time, sealing the fate of the Death Guard attack...note the Glaive in the top right of the photo - the Volkite Carronade is a heck of a thing to come up against...

A big thanks to Dallas, Byron and Mike F for joining the game, and thanks to Byron for bringing his awesome Death Guard models out to the game.  Was great to see them on the table! It was a lot of fun to game with our friend Curt once again. 

Now that the Death Guard has endured their "first game" blooding, watch for them to appear in more menacing fashion in further Epic 30k action on the Fawcett Avenue tables...

Epic 30k Game at Legions Maxximus (Lots of Photos)

"Let's shake hands!" - Titan vs. Titan in Epic 30k action at Legions Maxximus

This past weekend in Winnipeg we were very pleased to participate in Legions Maxximus, a local gaming and hobby event that has been growing in prominence here in Winnipeg thanks to the support of local retailers and hobby enthusiasts.  We hosted two demonstration games at the event.  Here are some photos of the first game - Epic 30k!

Loyalist forces for the scenario

Horus for hope! The Rebel forces for the scenario...

The scenario pitted the hard working advocates of hope and change from the 16th Legion, the Warmaster's own Sons of Horus, backed by Titans from Legio Mortis, against the delusional followers of the so-called "Emperor" from the VII Legion, the Imperial Fists, and hapless Titan crews from the Legio Gryphonicus.


The forces were equally balanced, because they were identical :) This was a demonstration game, after all, and the main goal was to give the players a taste of some of the different vehicles and troop types as well as an opportunity to blast away with Titans.  We played the game using "Epic Armageddon" rules.

The 6'x4' table with deployments and objectives marked

The table was 6' x 4', with three objectives.  The opposing forces entered along the opposing short table edges.  The goal was to hold the majority of the objectives prior to the conclusion of the game.  It would end after six turns OR once one side had five of their force elements destroyed or broken.  With all of the big guns on both sides, I had a pretty good idea which would happen first...

Hey - the Alpha Legion is already here...what are they up to?

Also present on the table from a small detachment from the XX Legion, the Alphas. Their purposes was unknown to either side...just the way the Alphas like it...basically, neither side trusted them, including their supposed allies in the Sons of Horus, so a secondary objective was to try and contain the Alpha detachment ("secure" them in Sons of Horus parlance).   If one side or the other made contact, well we would see what might happen...on to the photos!
 

War engines of Legio Gryphonicus lead the way for the loyalist side...

Armour from the VII Legion follows the Titans

Legio Mortis engines race to confront their hated rivals

Meanwhile, the Sons of Horus deploy from their Spartan carriers to capture an objective

A loyalist Warhound leads an advance along the flank - and takes cover behind a building! Typical...

The Imperial Fist Land Raiders boldly advanced to open fire on the Legio Mortis engines - they would knock out the void shields on one of them!

The Sicaran detachment from XVI Legion comes under heavy fire

The VII Legion Land Raiders received heavy return fire directly from the rebel titans...the remnants of the detachment fall back under fire

The Imperial Fists launch a bold assault, closing to point blank range to knock out the opposing Land Raiders with grenades, power fists and other goodies...the unfortunate, yet brave Sons of Horus Land Raiders would be wiped out...

The XVI Legion, however, had a second tier of support lined up...a Fellblade and a Knight detachment ready their guns for the Imperial Fists

Contact! The players on both sides, inspired by Dave's passion for aggressive play, had their power-fist-equipped Titan charge right at each other, a fine climax for the game

KA BOOM! The rebel Titan ripped the loyalist engine apart, but did so in such a dramatic fashion that its reactor melted down and the resulting explosion obliterated the Legio Mortis attacker as well! Classic 30k!

So it was a close-run game, with a suitably apocalyptic ending - two Titans destroying each other in a brutal close attack!!  The loss of the Titan was the final nail in the Loyalist attack, representing the loss of a fifth force element, and they withdrew, leaving the ground to the rebels, who themselves had lost one Titan, seen a second one severely damaged, and seen heavy losses among other detachments.  Well fought everyone!!

Epic remains as one of the finest rule sets GW has ever produced, allowing a large encounter featuring everything from foot-slogging tactical marines to massive Fellblade tanks, to Knights and all the way to Titans!  

Loyalist troops, backed by armour, secure one of the objectives

Sons of Horus forces keep an eye on the Alphas...

Rebel Knight household units advance

Ouch! It was a tough outing for the loyalist Knights...this formation would break under withering fire from XVI Legion Fellblade tanks

Thanks to Dave V, Russ, Russel and Nathan for joining us to play.  A huge thank-you to Dallas for playing and helping set up and run the game as well! 

This was, I believe, the third year for the Legions Maxximus event. It has been growing from modest roots into a significant gaming event for hobbyists in Winnipeg and the surrounding area.  With the support of the Manitoba Model Soldier Society (see them on Facebook here) as well as local hobby retailers like Maxx Collectibles, Legions IV Hire and the Winnipeg GW store, this event is improving every year.   In addition to gaming, the members of the MMSS were on hand to provide tutorials on painting, while the keen model builders of the IPMS were sharing their tips on model building.  The MMSS was also staging their 40th anniversary show (congrats to them!). There were a number of different demonstration games, from fantasy to sci-fi to historical. Participants could try different games and learn about how to paint the figures - and take home one of their own!  Very well done.

In all, it was a great hobby event, and we had a great time participating. I'm already looking forward to next year!   Watch for more photos from our "Team Yankee" mega game that followed the Epic 30k game...