New Weapon Options for Adeptus Titanicus

Assortment of new carapace-mounted weapon systems for the Warlord Titans of Legio Mortis

Some more modest bits of Adeptus Titanicus work to share - new weapon options for the Warlord Titans. These bits are all from Forge World, and while they still seem somewhat new to me, I'm sure they have all been out there for at least 15 months, if not longer. These are all options for the carapace mounts on the Warlord Titans models with GW's re-booted Adeptus Titanicus. Naturally, I painted these up in the colours of Legio Mortis - after all, the Warmaster always made sure his chosen ones got the new kit first, why should my collection be any different? 

Choosing from a wide variety of bonkers weapons systems to equip your Titan was a big part of the fun of the original Adeptus Titanicus, and it was slightly infuriating when the new Warlord Titan models only came with a single choice for the arms and the carapace. The variety is here now, however, and while acquiring the different weapon options is expensive (naturally), and requires dealing with Forge World (i.e. even more expensive), the choice is getting nicely varied, and Princeps can again ponder all sorts of different combos of insane far-future weapons with which to smite their foes!

With the caveat that they are resin, these are still nice little bits, and thankfully they magnetize easily on the shoulder mounts of the Warlord Titan model kits. Here are a few close-ups...

Paired Vulcan Mega-Bolters

The Vulcan-Mega Bolter array modeled on one of my Legio Mortis engines.

Of all of the weapon options, this is perhaps the least intimidating, at least in the context of the otherwise imposing chassis of the mighty Warlord Titan. These weapons are essentially giant super-versions of the bolt guns carried by Space Marines - and it is so very 30k to know that the Mechanicum would have designed a version of the bolt gun to match the size of every soldier and vehicle in the known universe of the grim and dark far future. Hilarious.

For a weapon with "mega" in the name, I have to say they don't seem that intimidating. That said, they will rip the void shields from enemy engines, so they definitely have their uses in Adeptus Titanicus.

In the game, these weapons will spit out a hail of shots which stand little chance of damaging other Titans, but are excellent at overwhelming void shields. Knocking the shields off of enemy engines is a very useful thing, so it is not like these things are useless - but for me it is a matter of opportunity cost. If you are equipping your Warlord with these guns, you are missing out on some other really cool guns (see more in this post). Best to leave the shield-stripping work to the Warhounds, IMO, and make sure your Warlord Titans are carrying weapons with knock-out power. That said, preferences vary, so I'm glad to have this option in my collection. 

Paired Turbo Laser Destructors

Paired Turbo-Laser Destructors on a Warlord Titan from Legio Mortis.

Huge, destructive laser weapons - does what the name says. In the grim darkness of the far future, who wouldn't want to blast things with huge lasers? It is easy to get these "laser destructors" confused with the similar-looking-and-sounding "laser blasters". The statistics and performance of the weapons are also very similar. 

Ready to blast the followers of the false Emperor into particles...

So the carapace laser weapon options for Warlords are similar, but they are still different - these weapons hit a little harder with a lesser rate of fire. They will harm an enemy engine's shields, but really are better for delivering killing blows once the enemy's shields are down. Plus, they look nice and menacing up there on top of the Warlord Titan.

Paired Gatling Blasters

Oh YEAH! Paired Gatling Blasters! This will be fun!

Now we're talking! If the Vulcan Mega-Bolters don't look all that scary up on the Titan, these things are the opposite - terrifying! Count on the Mechanicum to come up with what is essentially a 125mm gatling cannon! A pair of them no less! These bonkers things right up the alley of the bonkers 30k setting.

So. Much. GATLING. Good times await!!

 

Not only do these things look cool, they are pretty useful in the game. They get to shoot - a lot - and hit with a decent punch. Plus your Warlord can be covered in gatling-type cannons! That is the best! Can't wait to take these out for a "spin"...

Now that I have these available for my Legio Mortis engines, I suppose I will need to paint some up for the loyalist side as well. I try to keep my collection balanced, but somehow Horus' followers always seem to get the new stuff first...I will see if I can balance things out a touch with my next painting effort. Thanks for reading, everyone!

New Reaver Titan - WITH Magnets!

Reaver titan model, together with weapon assortment - plastic model (with some resin weapons) from GW/Forge World.

Reinforcements for Adeptus Titanicus continue to march forth from the pandemic painting forges. This is a Reaver class battle titan painted in the colours of Legio Mortis, along with a full assortment of weapons. The titan model itself and nearly all of the weapons are multi-part plastic kits from GW - a couple of the weapon choices for the carapace points are resin bits from Forge World.

A "classic" loadout - lasers on the left, gatling cannon on the right, and a big "Apocalypse" missile launcher up top.

The Reaver is a "medium" class (!) battle titan - "medium" insofar as it is bigger and slower than the "scout" class Warhound titans, but still smaller and faster than the massive Warlord class titans. The Reaver is a frontline battle titan, with scary heavy weapons that can level entire city blocks in one blast, and commonly found among all of the Titan Legions in the Adeptus Titanicus game. Good times!

Laser blaster option for the carapace.

Another carapace option - Vulcan Mega Bolter.

Perhaps the whackiest carapace option - the "Warp Missile Rack".

GW's plastic models for the revamped "Adeptus Titanicus" game are just wonderful, beautiful kits. But not all of them were designed with small magnets in mind - some were - but the Reavers were not, or at least not completely. I don't think there was any sinister motive there...the Reaver's design has a rounded joint in the "shoulder" and in the mounts for the arm weapons themselves. The folks who created the plastic model kits for the Reavers were true to this design - the carapace weapon mount has a feature that easily fits a small magnet, but the arm weapons do not. So you cannot magnetize the weapons mounts for the arms and swap out the weapons - not without a bit of hobby engineering.

A particularly "angry" configuration? Two close combat weapons? Not sure this would work out in the game, but I know there are members of the group who would want to try :)

I chickened out at the prospect of magnetizing the first Reaver titans that I built for my collection. My Legio Mortis Reavers had all of the weapons, even the carapace mounts, glued down. The Reavers for my Legio Gryphonicus collection have the arm weapons glued down, although I did magnetize the weapon mounts on the carapace. That gave players some choice, but not much.

The "Volcano Cannon" on the right arm - good times!

The "Melta Cannon".

But my friends have inspired me to try to build a Reaver with all weapon points magnetized. To build up my courage, I practised first on some Warhounds. That worked for me - yay! I then opened up a new Reaver model, got out the magnets and...it worked! Here we are, a new God-engine for the rebel forces hoping to topple the unjust tyranny of the so-called "Emperor".

"Let's go for a walk!"

Growing collection of spare weapons for the different titans...

I am pretty pumped to have a Reaver model that can mount a whole variety of weapons. And it can share arm weapons with the Nemesis Warbringer Titan I painted earlier this spring, so the variety works all around.

Updated "family photo" for my Legio Mortis detachment....

You can see from the photos throughout this post there is a fine assortment of terrifying weapons for any Princeps to choose from, including the bonkers "close combat" weapons, which are hilarious and great fun. You might be ten stories tall...but there are STILL some things that MUST be punched...or sawed! That is one aspect of the crazy 30k/40k setting that I never get tired of...I know some players in our group like to play particularly aggressive in these games, so I'm glad we'll have more options for them to enjoy.

A big "thank you" to Dallas for helping with photos/planning for how to get the magnets to work properly on the Reaver chassis! Now I need to get a similar one prepared for the loyalist faction...hope all are safe and well out there!

Some New Warhounds - WITH Magnets!

New Warhound titans from GW's Adeptus Titanicus - spare weapon options seen at the feet of the bases.

Some more machines for GW's "Adeptus Titanicus" - these are Warhound-class titans, multi-part plastic kits from GW. Each side of the Horus Heresy gets a new machine here - the grey and yellow titan serves with the loyalists of Legio Gryphonicus, while 30k fans will probably already be familiar with the purple and red colours of Legio Mortis, who fight for the cause of the Warmaster.

Legio Mortis engine sporting twin plasma blast guns - these weapons are hard on the Warhound's reactor, but also very deadly to an enemy engine that has lost its void shields.

A mixed weapon load...mega bolter on the left "arm", and a laser blaster on the right "arm".

Twin flame cannons...probably an ineffective weapon loadout, but in the Horus Heresy there are some problems which can only be solved with lots and lots of fire...

The Warhound is the "smallest" of the battle titans that serve in the ranks of the Titan Legions of the Horus Heresy. They are sometimes called "scout titans", which is conceptually hilarious, but these machines are (relatively) lighter and faster than the other city-crushing titans. They can maneuver more deftly, and while their weapons are (again, relatively) "lighter" than those carried by the Reavers and Warlords, they are still dangerous - the Warhound is a real threat to enemy machines, even the larger chassis.

Legio Gryphonicus Warhound.

Warhounds are particularly dangerous in groups, and they can cooperate groups, sharing their void shields and joining their firing together to cause serious damage to their enemies. I already had two Warhounds for each Legio in my collection, but a third Warhound for each side will help the "pack" reach a nice critical mass.

Twin mega bolters...this weapon variant is very, very dangerous to enemy void shields, although the weapons cannot do much damage once the shields are down. That's where the "pack" part come into play...

There is one special thing about these models that is a different from the Warhound models I built previously - I managed to magnetize the weapon mounts on these! I was inspired by Dallas to figure this out. Dallas is very smart with his use of magnets, but I am so clumsy with them. Magnets are an old hobby foe of mine, and efforts involving magnets often end in frustration and swearing. I constantly, constantly screw up the polarity on the magnets.

Some of the new Adeptus Titanicus models from GW are designed specifically to accommodate small magnets, and I usually manage OK with those. The Reaver and Warhound kits, however, were not designed specifically to use the magnets, they use a kind of ball joint instead. So you either had to glue the weapons on, or come up with your own solution that worked with/around the ball joints on the weapons.

Here is a photo with the loyalist machine sporting the flame cannons.

Confronted with the option of doing some of my own hobby engineering, I chickened out at the time and I glued the weapons into place on my previous models. But Dallas, Curt and others have shown that, with some clever modifications, the magnets can be used on the ball-style weapon joints of the Warhound and Reaver models. I copied Dallas' approach, and I managed to get the little magnets to work!

This is great as these machines now have different weapons options - choosing weapons in a big part of the fun for the game. As you would expect, different weapon load outs offer different choices in tactics - for example, a Warhound equipped with "mega bolters" (i.e. huge, heavy calibre machineguns) on both weapon mounts will be very useful for bringing down enemy void shields. Or, perhaps a player will prefer to mount twin plasma cannons...not so great at shields, but more than able to deliver a killing blow once the shields of an enemy are down.

Magnets are also the only way I would ever bother with the giant flamethrowers - I'm not sure what value these weapons would really have in a game of "Adeptus Titanicus" - as opposed to a game of "Epic", where they could obliterate entire infantry companies in one pass - but thanks to the magnets, the players can choose to use them or not.

The newly expanded Warhound pack on the shelf with the rest of my loyalist collection...

The expanded Warhound pack of Legio Mortis...

I didn't have quite enough spare weapons to cover every possibility for both sides...the Legio Mortis side is short a laser blaster and a mega bolter, something I'll look into later. For now, it's great to have these new machines joining the ranks. Now if we could just get a game in somehow...

Thanks for reading, and stay safe out there!

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!

Painting Challenge Submission 16 - Legio Mortis Warhound Titan for "Adeptus Titanicus"

A Warhound "scout" titan from Legio Mortis, ready to hunt for hope and change...

The diversion from historical painting subjects and into the grim darkness of the far future and GW's re-booted "Adeptus Titanicus" continues.  Having added some God-engines to the delusional "loyalist" faction, I naturally needed to balance things out for the side of hope and change, the Warmaster! So here is one more Warhound class titan.

Vulcan mega-bolter on the left "arm" mount.

This Titan is painted in the colours and markings of Legio Mortis, the charming "Death Heads".  Many Titan Legions supported the Warmaster's noble rebellion against the tyranny of the Imperium, but Legio Mortis was front-and-centre, foremost among Horus' ranks, even leading the assault on the Imperial Palace on Terra itself. 

Turbo-lasers on the right "arm" mount.

The weapon load-out includes a set of "turbo lasers" on one arm, and a "vulcan-mega bolter" on the other.  On its own, this engine is a limited threat, but paired with the other Warhound in the maniple, the mega-bolters can knock down the void shields on enemy engines and either move in for a kill at short range with their own energy weapons, or let the more heavily-equipped Reavers and Warlord strike final blows.

View of the detailing on the rear and top of the Titan.

With this little guy completed, my Legio Mortis forces now have a complete "Axiom Battle Line" maniple, ready to face the toe-chewing loyalists who cling to their pathetic so-called "Emperor".  The "Axiom Battle Line" is one of the basic core force-types for the Titan Legions. It is comprised of one Warlord titan, two Reaver titans and two Warhound titans.  

By using different Maniple formations in the game, players can access some different bonuses for command, firing etc.  The "Axiom Battle Line" is a middle-of-the-road type formation, able to deal with anything that comes up, and gets every different class of titan on to the table, which I enjoy.

A view of the new Titan with his colleagues.

Two complete Titan maniples now sitting on the shelf!

All of these toys got to see some action this past weekend at a local gaming even here in Winnipeg. Challenge participant Byron came out to play the game, and also brought some excellent buildings from the game "Dropzone Commander" along, which is wonderful, as those larger buildings look great while also being big enough to block the lines of fire of the bigger Warlord titans. So a big "thank you" to Byron!

An Imperial city waits for "agressive urban development"...

Loyalist battle group moves out...

The god engines of the noble Warmaster deploy...

During the game, Dallas ran the loyalist battlegroup, while Dave V and Byron ran the rebel battlegroup.  While no Titans cooked off, the rebels were pretty shot up - the Legio Mortis Warlord in particular had two weapons blown off and had taken some serious hits to the body and critical damage to the legs...it was great fun to get these monsters on the table again. 

This edition of Curt's Painting Challenge is winding down...I think I might have one or two submissions left, we'll see...thanks for visiting, and have a great day!