More 40k Valkyrie madness

I just can't let go of the colour blue for 40k....

A couple of weeks ago, we concluded an Epic 40k game set on the hapless Imperial world of Toxo IV with a draw between the Tau and the Imperial Guard. A final show down had been brewin in that last disputed sludge sector, between the Tau and the Storm Troopers and Sentinels. I figure this will call for a part II, but with the game in 40k. Since I have a bunch of red Tau in 40k, and blue storm troopers in 40k, I just needed to add a few models to round out the "feel" - Valkyries!

Most of the guys have seen this finished model anyway, as I was showing it off at the 6mm WW3 game two weeks ago, but here are a couple of pics. This vehicle has more of a vehicle-hunting mission, equipped with a lascannon and two hellstrike missiles. In theory, the commandos should be killing the people/aliens (right...)



My first pass with this model was very frustrating. But the second time around went way, way smoother. I figured out the thing to do was to pretty much ignore the instructions, and instead follow the excellent GW online tutorial, which provides a sane way to assemble the model. One thing I clued to this time around is that many photos on the box are not, in fact, the assembled plastic model, but photos of the finished resin models from Forgeworld, which have many subtle differences.

Also, I was reminded again of why I love that blue paint scheme - it is insanely fast. Painting the cockpit takes the most time. The photo above is the model at the half-way stage - took about an hour!



So, one down - three to go, plus a Vulture for fun! I have ordered the additional Vaklyries from Maelstrom games, saving some big $$, and I still have that Vulture from Forgeworld (which is really, really hideous to assemble - stay tuned for seperate posts on that desperate project - I have had to break out the green stuff, and I SUCK with the green stuff).

While the remaining Valkyries should go smoothly, I think I may attempt one model with the door gunners open...that will be tricky! Not sure how I will pull that off. One problem at a time.

The overall force will transport my blue storm trooper lads - three squads, each with one Vaklyrie, and a fourth to carry the command flunkies, with one Vulture to assist. A bunch of sentinels will help (let's say they got air-dropped or something). I don't think it is codex-legal or whatever, but who cares? I just hope it will look cool...and when the time comes, we'll have a mega-smackdown in that final sector of Toxo IV!

**** You and the Horse You Rode In On

OK, so the first conversion work has started on the Vraksian Renegades. I decided to start with the Rough Riders. Readers will recall that the converted model consists of:

- Chaos Marauder horse and torso

- Bretonnian Knight lance arm

- Empire Militia left arm

- Forgeworld Renegade torso

Here is the assembled product...

Personally, I like how the rider came out, but not sure on the horse choice. It looks very... "Chaos-y" for lack of a better word, and may not quite fit with the more restrained and realistic look of the rest of the army. I think I'll continue with the riders but use a different horse... Empire Pistoliers maybe? There used to be some plastic Bretonnian squire horses that were quite nice but I don't think they're made any longer. Rats...

Thanks GW!

Went down to my local GW shop to pick up Razorwire for the Renegades project, and to "beautify" the Bastion I just built.

Guess what? They didn't have any! (cue Greg B.-style rant) The GW worker said that they stopped carrying it because "nobody bought it". He actually "didn't think they could even order it."

Visiting our local GW is getting more and more like stepping back into some sort of hobby version of Soviet Russia. "We can put you down on a pre-order list..." Whatevs.

Antenociti's Workshop, here I come =)

An Army (before) Dawn...

A pile of bits that might someday become an army...

With the recent... "enthusiasm" around here for Warhammer 40K I've joined Greg B. in "hooring it up" and now the bits that will become a Vraksian Renegade army are (mostly) assembled.

Clockwise from centre top... Command Squad and 3x Heavy Weapon crews; 10 "Chaos Death Riders" and steeds; Beastman squad (to stand in as Ogryns, 2 per large base); Renegade Squad #2; Renegade Squad #3; 2x Renegade Heavy Stubber crews.

There are 40 Forgeworld Renegade Militia torsos in there and a whack of Cadian bits. The Chaos Death Riders will be the most interesting conversions: Chaos Marauder steeds and bodies, FW Renegade torsos, Bretonnian Knight right arms, Empire Militia left arms. The Beastmen will be made from Cadian torsos, arms and legs, and Beastman lower legs/hooves and heads. The Militia squads are straightforward, all Cadian parts except the FW torsos.

Not shown: 20 Mutants/Itinerant Sludge Farm Workers with guns (Warhammer Fantasy plastic Zombies with random firearms and Renegade Squad #1 (these are painted already), two Leman Russ Demolishers (one assembled), about 40 Armageddon Steel Legionnaires (Traitor Guard). Might grab a Sentinel or two and/or a Hellhound but that should about do it for the list. Now to assembly!

Battle Report - Tough night for the BAOR

BAOR High Command prepares to repel Soviet assault on the North German plains.

Last week the conscripts assembled at my place for another great 1/300 game set in an imaginary World War 3. For rules we used an adapted version of Epic 40k - blast markers and all, although the basing scheme was the same as Spearhead i.e. one base equals a platoon. The table was 6'x4', with the Warsaw Pact entering on one of the short edges, and attempting to overrun as many objectives as possible.

The scenario featured a full Soviet brigade of two BMP-2-equipped Motor Rifle battalions and two T-80U battalions backed by a battalion of SP 122mm guns and a flight of Hind attack helicopters all trying to run over three BAOR combat groups (painted by Mike F) and a mixed battalion of Bundeswehr tanks and panzer grenadiers. The BAOR had a mix of mechanized infantry in Warrior IFVs backed by Challenger I MBTs and SP 155mm artillery. They also had one dismounted battalion of infantry. NATO also had a flight of US Apache gunships on hand for assistance.

Mike F's excellent GHQ brits - looked great, even as they got hammered.

To add some threat to the game, NATO received two fire missions of "precision guided munitions" - artillery specifically designed to knock out tanks. For their part, the Warpac players were given a fire mission of non-persistent chemical warheads for use with their 122mm howitzers.

Dave V, Bill and Brian rolled out with the Soviet forces. Mike F, Mike B and Cam went with NATO.

T-80s take losses in the face of some MILANs on Overwatch. The battalion commander took umbrage, and dialed up a MAD response...

Overall, it was a rough outing for the BAOR/NATO force. They had bad luck on command rolls, helicopter attacks and especially artillery spotting (suffice to say their SP 155mm moved more than it fired - was that kind of night). While NATO did manage to use their PGM artillery (a round-type which had been devestating in a prior modern Spearhead game), it had a negligible impact. Most success came from infantry units on Overwatch firing their ATGW systems (MILANs and TOWs) - they wrecked many T-80s, but not enough to stop the red tide.

British artillery - too much driving, not enough firing...

On the other hand, the Soviet command did not hesitate to make use of their chemical munitions against the first BAOR unit to give them a hard time - in this instance, the poor dismounted lads dug into a hill in the center of the table. The impact was dramatic, and the hill was quickly vacated as the squaddies fell back in disarray.

There is a funny smell on this hill...

Brian, Dave and Bill were a picture of Warpac efficiency, concentrating massive fire against the different NATO formations in each turn, while the Hinds stalked the battlefield strafing survivors.

The mood of NATO was best captured by Mike F, who compared the Hind to Mobey Dick, and urged that all efforts be exhausted to knock the thing out of the sky...which they managed to do. However, they could not stop the two Soviet battalions bearing fully down on a bridge that was a key objective.

We called the game after six turns, with the Soviets about to achieve a clear victory, and the British were checking the highway maps for directions to Dunkirk! Thanks to everyone for coming out to play. Mike F continues to paint up new, awesome looking stuff for his British force. I anticipate that some more Challengers, and some AAA vehicles, will be up next!

"Moby Dick" prowls the table.

In the meantime, a parliamentary inquiry will be in order to investigate the loss of an ENTIRE component of the BAOR battlegroup. The West German parliament may investigate as well - assuming there is still a West Germany to host it...

World War Three - It's Epic man!

BAOR to Warpac - bring it on, proleteriat!

Tonight we'll be playing 6mm World War Three, using a modified Epic 40k rules engine. The level of abstraction will be the same as Spearhead - each base will represent a platoon, and the infantry and IFVs will be based together.

The modifications to the Epic 40k engine will have to do with the use of ATGW - thinks like TOWs, Milans, Spandrel's etc. Unless the unit is a dedicated ATGW vehicle - like the BRDM missile carrier for the Soviets, Swingfire for the Brits, attack helicopter etc - ATGW can only be used on Overwatch.

Also, mindful of some recent commentary that artillery is apparently not "deadly enough", we'll try to fix that a bit! And if "Chemical Cam" is able to make it to the game, watch for some provocative MAD action. To keep the arty in check, Forward Observers will have to be used - unlike Epic 40k where the guns let rip on anything the player can see on the table so long as they roll a successful sustain fire order.

Other hints for tonight's game? Well, what would NATO be like if the war at sea did not proceed with Tom Clancy, towed-sonar-array precision in NATO's favour? How much fuel and ammo would those Challengers have left three weeks into the fighting? And given the fine reputation of British manufacturing, how would those Challengers do in a real shooting war?

Epic 40k battle report - Conflict on Toxo IV

Table showing the three "sludge production sectors" that were objectives.

Last night Dallas hosted a game of Epic 40k, pitting the Tau against the Imperial Guard for full control of some vital toxic sludge plants. It was the battlefield debut for my Epic Tau. Yes, that's right - Epic Tau from Forgeworld. What the f***k was I thinking? Well, I got them - years ago! and I managed to paint them. Last night they went into battle! I have to say I am pleased to finally have seen them on the table.

The Tau had a cadre of Crisis Suits, Stealth Suits, Broadsides, Hammerhead tanks and infantry in Devilfish APCs. They also had some human auxiliaries, representing Imperial Guard units who had defected to their side in return for not having to worry about Commissars any more.

The Imperials had a storm trooper company in Valkyries, backed by Vulture gunships, a detachment of Sentinels, a mechanized infantry company and a tank company, backed by a battery of Basilisk artillery pieces.

Cam, Mike F and Brian took the Tau, and Dallas and Bill rolled out with the Imperial Guard.

Imperial Guard storm troopers enter "flavour country"

The scenario was a classic "take two out of three" objective grab - each ojbective representing an important sludge factory, along with the housing which would naturally be concentrated very close to it so as to maximize worker productivity and minimize commuting.

The Tau started in control of the three objectives, but could place only their traitor milita on the table. The Imperials would be allowed to "drop" their storm troopers and sentinels in on the first turn, and from there it was all on!

The Tau move out from their occupied objective, led by their Hammerhead gunships.

The storm troopers made a tough assault in the first turn, capturing a sludge plant and defeating a traitor infantry platoon and artillery battery. This was a great firefight, as Dallas and Brian tied the result rolls again and again, meaning that round after round was fought.

A Leman Russ tank company - one of the most devestating units the Imperial Guard can get.

In the second turn, Bill rolled the mechanized infantry in to capture a second sludge sector, while the Tau concentrated on the third. Realizing they would need to capture a second sector to win the game, the Tau side began a careful advance against the storm troopers and the sentinels.

Tau deploy from their Devilfish APCs - thanks to markerlights elsewhere on the table, the Devlish can send guided missiles all over the place to p*ss off their opponents.

The upshot of the careful advance was a lot of headaches for the storm troopers and sentinels, and especially for Dallas, who got to enjoy exposure to the mobility of the Tau suits, markerlights etc. While the Tau were not able to kill many units in the factory sector, they did wreak havoc with their weapons which caused extra blast markers.

Mechanized infantry secure an objective.

We called the game for time a little after midnight - each side had one sludge sector firmly in control, and the third was contested. The final turn was a bit of an anti-climax, with both sides failing to issue engage orders successfully, meaning that what would have been a wicked cool firefight was falling down toward a Verdun-style grind for both sides.

It was great to play Epic 40k again - I just love the rules. The Tau are definitely tough in the game. The suits are super-mobile, the Hammerheads are lethal and the markerlights and guided missiles, while not causing too much harm on their own, made the Imperial players mental ("the missiles come from where???"). While I can't say I will be adding more Epic Tau figures (which don't seem to be that available from Forgeworld anymore regardless) I will paint up the Epic Tau flyers that I have, and I may try to convert my own Manta using 40k bits so they can take out Titans.

Thanks to Dallas for hosting, and for everyone who came out to play! I definitely enjoyed it.