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Dakota Minor Defence Corps (PDF)
By Mike Zulu
Introduction Like many established Imperium worlds, Dakota Minor has a planetary defence force simply known the Dakota Minor Defence Corps (or DMDC). Most of its number are conscripted from the local population; a small number of citizens willingly join to escape the tedium of farm life that is prevalent on Dakota Minor. The DMDC is organised in a manner similar to Astra Militarum regiments, albeit more limited in their makeup. For the most part, it consists of dozens of infantry battalions- 0 comments
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AdMech Patrol #2 - Progress report
By Bouargh
Blog entries pass and sometimes look like very similar to some previous ones. It is one of the issues when dealing with army building on base of multiples buy outs of the same Patrol Box... Yet we might eventually expect some variation if the models are fitted in different fashion, ain´t we? The Onagre DuneCrawler as already been spoiled in the FOrums, but it has been the major progress of the past week so I will "proudly" republish it there. It is also an unhonorable wa- 1 comment
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Wrapping up 2024 and looking forward.
It's been a while since I did a blog post, in fact I haven't posted since completing my Call to arms vow back in the summer. I'd like to say I had a great excuse for not posting, but it was mainly just being distracted by other things such as playing Space Marine II. I have still managed to carry on building and painting a fair few models in this time and having a free time over the Christmas holidays I've gotten quite a bit more finished.
2024 Completed:
Following on from my Tau army additions with my Call to Arms pledge I just wanted to add a couple of things to finish off the army with a second broadside suit with magnetised weapon options and with the release of Hivestorm I had to get the Vespids both for my Tau army and as a Kill team in their own right. I now don't need anything else for my Tau (with the exception of a Taunar supremacy suit and a Tiger shark, but they will have t wait until I win the lottery).
Next up is the additions to my homebrew Primaris marine army starting with an infernus squad using the Combat Patrol magazine exclusive miniature and the start collecting set one. A converted Captain in terminator armour using one of the ones from the 2 copies of Combat Patrol issue 1 and spare parts from the multi part captain kit and lastly a Phobos strike team for Kill Team with a small amount of kit-bashing to add two reivers to the squad and give the medic a full apothecaries back pack and accessories.
I also revisited my Deathwatch, using the other terminator captain to create this rule of cool Deathwatch captain. I also had the idea of building a custom primaris killteam for the deathwatch, kit-bashed from numerous kits and including some 3d printed parts many of which I created myself (and available here if you are interested). Looking at the updated rules for primaris killteams in 40k I might even be on the right path for when they ever get around to updating the Deathwatch in Kill Team.
On a whim after seeing numerous Death Guard army lists that included sorcerors in terminator armour, I kitbashed this one to add to my army.
Lastly, I also manage to get quite a bit of scenery tabletop ready as well.
Into the New Year:Looking forward, I already have several miniature partially painted on my desk, to hopefully complete in the next couple of weeks, namely 5 infiltrators and 5 incursors along with the company heroes squad to add to my marine army. I want to participate in the "Knives in the shadows" Kill team painting challenge, but don't fancy painting up the Tempestus Aquilons from the Hive team box and was intending to sell them. Fortunately I got the Inquisition Agents kit for Christmas which should make for an interesting Kill-team, to bring them up to full numbers I have just ordered a box of Sisters of silence to fill out the team.
While on the subject of the Inquisition, I also have sitting round waiting for paint the Warhammer+ Inquisitor and cohorts along with the previous years Kasrkin sergeant and a random sister of battle, that want to get painted and off my desk.
I also have this xmas present to myself, I hope to get painted up and find a suitable place to display it.
Looking forward to the rest of the coming year I expect much of my hobby time to be Eldar focused with the new miniature due to arrive in the not too distant future. I also need to play more games, rather than just amass more unused armies and kill teams. With it seemingly more difficult to get together with the couple of friends I usually play with, I intent to try and join a local gaming club to hopefully address this imbalance.
Anyway, thanks for reading and Happy New Year
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Hi Folks,
A third fantasy for the "What-if HH minis were introduced in the 40K SKitarii setting" game series. Thsi time with the Axiarch, a Secutarii leader that will probably prove to be of little to no use in most 40k era game setting.
It is still a Marshal but with some extra buff, it looks like more to a SM Captain in Terminator armour, so set him tentatively at 95 pts, as the SM Captain...
What do you think of this USO (Unidentified Stomping Object)?
Cheers,
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New Year is upon us and I am surprised I am having a desire to work on my Exorcists Chapter. I have entered the "Knives in the Shadows" Kill Team build event, with Angels of Death Team, which runs March 1st, 2025 to May 31st, 2025
I do have a Phobos Strike Team to build....actually 2 but I do have a 5 Infiltrators
and 5 Reivers
so I need build need 5 incursors and I will have 15 models to chose from for my Phobos Strike Force Kill Team and also to serve as my Regular units for 40k.
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The Mystery Begins
Fragment of a document reportedly recovered from the space hulk designated Herald of Misery in M38 by the rogue trader Ibram Subicere:
Accompanied by a demi-squad of the Inceptors Chapter, Captain Subicere and his crew aboard the Torchbearer were exploring the Anguis Cluster near the Maelstrom. There they discovered the Herald of Misery. Auspex readings indicated that the vessel was comprised of several major vessels and a number of smaller ones, including a few Imperial vessels and pre-Imperial human vessels. The Inceptors boarded the hulk in terminator armor, establishing a lodgment from which Captain Subicere and his crew could salvage while the Space Marines explored the deeper reaches of the hulk.Two days into the operation, Brother-Sergeant Praetus and his squad suddenly returned. Putting his battle-brothers on guard, Brother-Sergeant Praetus returned to the Torchbearer. He privately entered the astropath’s quarters, ignoring all questions from Captain Subicere, and returned to the space hulk. He said one word to his battle-brothers: "Sanctitas." At this word, the terminators left their posts and returned whence they came, each carrying loads of demolitions.
Brother-Sergeant Praetus then informed Captain Subicere that his squad had discovered a grave threat within the depths of the hulk. He and his squad were to destroy the threat by planting demolitions at structural weaknesses within the hulk, during which time Captain Subicere and his crew would have five hours to recover as much as they could before returning to the Torchbearer. At this, Brother-Sergeant Praetus turned and followed his battle-brothers into the depths of the hulk.
One of the items that Captain Subicere was able to retrieve from the hulk was a small book. Beneath a thousand years of dust, the leather-bound book was decorated with gold filigree and the aquila of the Imperium. On the pages within, Subicere saw pictures of different Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, a small guidebook to the names and liveries of over a hundred Chapters. Instinctively, Subicere kept the book secret from Brother-Sergeant Praetus and his Space Marines, locking the book within his private sanctum aboard the Torchbearer before the Space Marines returned from their mission.
When Brother-Sergeant Praetus and his battle-brothers returned from their mission, they were laden with two containers they’d recovered from within the Herald of Misery, two of the terminators immediately returning to the Torchbearer with the containers as Brother-Sergeant Praetus and the two remaining battle-brothers remained, ostensibly to provide security as Captain Subicere and his crew completed their own tasks. Once all hands returned to the Torchbearer, Brother-Sergeant Praetus directed Captain Subicere to move the Torchbearer to stand-off distance. From there, the veteran Space Marine command-detonated the demolitions, entirely destroying the central vessel of the hulk and sending the debris of a dozen other vessels scattering through the void. He then informed Captain Subicere that the Inceptors had recalled the demi-squad and that they must return to the Chapter immediately. No explanation was given, and Captain Subicere was more than happy to see the Space Marines depart.
Upon completing the exploration of the Anguis Cluster, Subicere and the Torchbearer returned to Terra where the book was dutifully handed over to Inquisitor Lerneaus of the Ordo Malleus. The Inquisitor found one page, pictured at right, puzzling and required expert investigation, so he forwarded it to the Order of the Sacred Oath, an Order Dialogus of the Adepta Sororitas, for study and authentication.
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Still in the Past, But Closer.....Commissions 2023
And here we are 18 months later and all of 2023 to cover....
Kicking off 2023 was actually a minor expansion of 2022's big commission. It consisted of 1 Necron Overlord, and a whole stack more of terrain, and took up the entirety of January to complete.
Spoiler
Next up was Dystopian Wars commission for a USA Fleet in a striking Red, White and Blue scheme, consisting of 25 Ships. These started out fine, but ended up turning into a 8 month long ordeal (The initial quote was a much simpler scheme, and I'd planned for 2 months tops). When will I learn this lesson?
I actually ended up having a very quite few months (besides those darn ships) between February and May, with just one, single model Hero Forge D&D model commission. Typically, I can sit and paint a character start to finish, in one or two longer sittings, usually in a single day. Models like these are great palette cleaners and really do help to refocus upon their completion.
Mid-May however, saw the arrival of a new client and MASSIVE ORK WAAAGHHH!!!!, over 100 models...
We had Ghazghull and Makari in plastic, Ghazghull in metal, Boss Zagstrukk, Grukk Face-Rippa, a Kill Rig, 10 Squig-Hog Riders, 10 Beast Snaggas, 3 Killa Kans, 16 Nobz, 10 Stormboyz, 10 Kommandos, and 3 Runtherds with 30 Gretchin.
Spoiler
THAT was a lot, A LOT of Orks.... they really, REALLY got my creatitity into gear, it was so great having something so differernt to my usual work, AND I got to work on a pipe-dream army I've never had the money to do for myself. At no point in the 5 months I was painting these did it feel like a slog, I really enjoyed the project start to finish, (added bonus, it really helped break up the drag of those DAMN SHIPS.....)
September saw the regular family of commissioners reach out once more, the order of the day being expansions to their Sororitas, Drukhari, Necron, and terrain collections, additionally, they'd be going big, with some Tyranid big bugs.
The Necrons saw just three new units, a Shard of the Deceiver, a Chronomancer, and 3 Heavy Destroyers.
The Sisters saw more sizable reinforcments, with a Palatine (you'll need to forgive the pic, my Cannoness appears to be standing in the Palatine's spot...), 5 Celestians, 5 Retributors, and an Exorcist.
Spoiler
For the Drukhari, some speed in the form of 10 Scourges, and a forth (or is it fifth!?!?!) Raider,
I really am a fan of the Raiders in red....
Right, time for some BIG BUGS. The fledgling force consisted of a Winged Hive Tyrant, a Harpy, 2 Tyrannofexes, 3 Norn Emmissaries, and a counts-as Swarmlord.
(YES, there's only one Tyrannofex pictured, yes I REALLY did send the second one off to Japan without taking a SINGLE picture of it)
Unfortunately the Emmissaries and Swarlord fell WELL into 2024, and we'll talk about those then. This scheme is one that I personally struggled with. I don't mean I found it hard to paint, but I felt like it was so limiting with what the client requested. Specifically, I just wanted to do more, there's many small tweaks I wanted to make to really bring out the details and make these really pop, but the restraints were on tight for these, and I see the potential, and the result just isn't there. Honestly, it was more than a little demorilising. At least it was only a few big bugs, and not like I was doing 80 Gaunts or something.
And finally, bringing 2023 to a close, the terrain that accompanied these models,
Spoiler
You may notice colour variation between these and the older terrain pieces, but it really just the inconsistency of the lighting, rather than any real difference.
My big takeaway from 2023 is that down-skilling my paintwork is just a challenging as pushing to do my best work, from a motivational point of view, that can lead to real mental road-blocks.
Thank you once more for reading through all this, and once again, I'll try and get to 2024 in lass than 18 months....
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Latest Entry
Entry 2
Going to be a bit until I can build models, Hobby store is out of glue sadly.
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2024 - Year in Review - Sin Eaters
2024 - YEAR IN REVIEW
THE SIN EATERS
My first major project on returning to the hobby - well, the first once I liked enough to stick with properly - finally hit that all-important 2,000 point mark earlier this year. It's currently 2,070, meaning I can swap out a character as required, as I did this last weekend in a final spurt of tabletop play for the year. I'll go into the individual units in a moment, but just at a top-level, I'm very happy with these chaps. The Crusade, though shortened, was a blast. Killed a lot of Tyranids, was killed MORE by Tyranids, and generally had fun marching up and down the board and blasting away in Firestorm.
I have now played two games with the new Grotmas BA detachment, which... Would have been way, way better with my heavily character-focused Crusade army. Ah well. I'm happy with the scheme, and they look nice as an army, which is what really counts.
Fallen Martos, and the Firestrike Servo-Turrets.
My second Ballistus - chosen mostly for availability, and because I did need some more anti-monster blasting - was a delight to paint, and a cleaner job than I managed with the first one. Much of my 2024 painting on the Sin Eaters came out nicer than 2023, though not all, and I'm egnerally quite happy with how the scheme applies to this big, flat-panel models. Gives me a lot of room to freehand those checkmarks.
The turrets were oddly compelling, too. They did good work in Crusade, mostly in keeping some monsters wary with that 4+ overwatch. I'm glad I cut off the Techmarines, they look so much nicer as fully automatic blasters. Said techmarines saw some new life a little later, too...
Headtaker of the 3rd, Techmarine Stahl, and Primus Medicae Malcos.
I did say the army was character heavy. Where 2023 was spent building and converting Chaplains, I branched out a little in 2024. The techmarine is made from some printed bits and a body and head cut from the turrets. Headtaker - a Judiciar - is a mashup of bits from all over, and the Apothecary is mostly spare parts from Leviathan and an ancient metal servitor arm. I'm most happy with the paint on Stahl, the green really pops, and I almost wish I had managed to fit more of it into the greater army. Maybe when I finally get some hellblasters as I slowly get this force to 3,000 points. Headtaker is a killer, though, he put in some work in the final few Crusade games.
Captain Cominius, and 3rd Company Command Squad.
Now, I know what you're thinking: 'Wormwoods, buddy, it's a Crusade, why did you only finish your general with like 3 games to go, ensuring he would be WAY behind on XP?'
Look.
The Command Squad wasn't out yet, and I didn't have the parts. Whatever. He's proven to be absolutely useless, and his friends even more-so, but who cares? It's a lovely kit, and a fine excuse to go even more ornate and over-the-top. Quite happy with the stolen Custodes banner, and the headswap on Cominius. Minimal other conversion work, just head swaps, and the sneaking suspicion that the Company Champion really is just short, and not just unfortunately posed.
Immortals of The Plate.
The final addition to the army in 2024 was this charming little gang of psychos. An easy arm-swap with some spare claws from a fellow hobbyist who prefers the hammers, I like how they came together on Leviathan bodies. They're even a little cleaner than the normal terminators, and slightly less garbage! They didn't get to join any real games for the Crusade, but put in some work over the weekend, buzzing through Khorne Berserker and having a wonderful time.
That's it for the Sin Eaters for now. I'm taking a break from them to focus on my next summary topic, and army for an upcoming Crusade starting in 2025, along with some non-40K work in The Old World. Painting Empire State Troops is like eating popcorn chicken, I can't stop! Still, I'll be adding more Sin Eaters at some point, likely some Hellblasters, some Death Company, more Jump Intercessors, and maybe even - horror of horrors - a tank! We'll see what happens.
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The Crusade (and Narrative) Continues...
The 40k Campaign I'm running is now at its half way point, and the first part is concluded. This part of the campaign was focused on the Orbital Array that is a lynch pin of the Forge World where the campaign is set.
My Marines haven't done great to be honest - winning only one out of seven games
- but there's been some exciting narrative developments along the way, such as Necrons opening a wormhole to siphon Tyranids from the Octarius Sector directly on to the Array! 
I've tried to run the narrative campaign in such a way that everyone gets something out of it - but getting beaten repeatedly does make it hard to feel like I'm getting something from it at times. That's where the Crusade system helps - you still pick up XP for each game played, and can nominate a unit as 'Marked for Glory' for a bit of an XP boost.
I'd say the star of my army - at least until the latest month - has been Captain Ouranos. In the three games I played last month, he took out a massive Tau Battlesuit, a Votann commander, and held a Tyrannofex over 3 turns of Combat (only losing a wound!).
(He doesn't seem to fare so well against regular infantry, he was punched out by these Einhyr after this picture was taken!
)
He was humbled in my most recent Crusade game, however - more by my dice* than anything In the battle, which wasn't going well for me anyway (I forgot the way Actions work, needing to start them in my shooting phase, which cost me a bunch of points
), one of two things** I hoped would happen did take place - Captain Ouranos had a showdown against my opponent's commander, Vishikar. A Skorpekh Lord and a key character in the Campaign!
Although Vishikar's Skorpekhs had Charged Ouranos' unit, I used Tactical Doctrine to fall back and charge again (taking out a Skorpekh with a Plasma Pistol shot on the way in, for good measure
). I activated his 'Finest Hour' ability, hit with all 9 dice - I needed 4's to wound, hoping I'd get a Devestating wound or two...
...and didn't roll anything higher than a 3
Ouranos was promptly dispatched by Vishikar, capping off what was a pretty disastrous game for me I was already smarting when it came to roll for Out of Action and Battle Scars- and would you know it, Ouranos failed his test
The subsequent Battle Scar roll I got Mark of Shame - so he can't be attached to a unit, be affected by Aura abilities, or Marked for Greatness.
Things weren't all looking bad however - the XP gained for the battle actually pushed him up a Rank, and I decided to boost his Sword (seeing as it has been struggling with taking out slightly tougher foes); the two rolls were favourable - Master-Worked (+1 Damage and Armour Piercing (-1 AP). Nice!
So I've made it a point in the narrative for the campaign - shamed for his failures in the battle for the Array, Captain Ouranos is on a Quest of Penitence to redeem his honour. And as a mark of his Quest, he has been granted access to one of the Chapter's Relic swords, to aid in fulfilling it.
Anyway, if you want to follow the narrative of the campaign, here's the links to the briefing for each month so far:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zbTrgrv1vuhJPLFiMzfMc6orC-LAca5y/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10GlyH-qRCFIZMwjKhdHnTGMj8cuPqBHN/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/179mUHsjzeqlGClsniDcG8xXjmq1VBu5O/view?usp=drivesdk
* the dice are going to be donated to the Youth orientated gaming group I help run - I certainly won't be using them anymore
** the only other thing I wanted from the game was to fulfil a bonus Agenda to get at least one more Honour Point to 'promote' one of my Assault Intercessor squads to Bladeguard Veterans - alas, I failed that also
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++ THIS ARTICLE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS ++
PREY FOR DEATH:
++ A MEDITATION AND REFLECTION UPON THE ORIGINS AND HUMOURS OF THE MANTIS WARRIORS ++
Order Origination: White Scars (primogenitor), Marauders (gene-foster)
Founding: Unknown; alleged to be the 8th Founding (Mid-34th Millennium)
Region of Control: Maelstrom Wilderness Zone
Strength: Recovering (as current date, M.42)
Affiliation: ...Complicated…
'I have always been equally fascinated and horrified by the terrible occurrences within the Maelstrom Zone at the time of the so-called Badab Schism, a consequence of staggering arrogance and foolishness. Several Space Marine Chapters drawn into heresy by the perfidy of the Astral Claws, who left the others to bear the burden, ensnaring them into misguided alliance. The true horror of these times cannot be understated: even in comparison to the Heresy, the differences are stark. In the perilous days when Horus rose in treachery, brother indeed fought brother, but under Huron’s banner, loyalist fought loyalist, in a different shade of damnation altogether.
Appeals to honour that haunt it, command it, shackle everyone involved to the millstone, making the grim voyage into crushingly deep betrayal ever more the bitter. This is well evidenced by the petitions of clemency from some of those the Secessionists called adversary, who decried the forfeiture of worlds, who baulked at the demands of hot, perhaps even hard-headed dissenters. It is this then, a tragedy upon tragedy that sustains the once great Chapter Master of the Mantis Warriors, Khoisan Neotera in his deep incarceration, from whom whence this small treatise originates. It has been complied for completeness, for the official record, for the history and future of the Mantis Warriors.'
- By Hyronimus Oberon Satii Esq, Interrogator First Class of the Ordo Hereticus, by the Emperor’s Divine Providence, at behest of his master, Lord Inquisitor Garrad Locke.
+++++
Whenever I sign onto a Deathwatch Game RPG in the Nook, I go to Badab for inspiration, and judging by one of the Fantasy Flight Games splatbook supplements – Honour The Chapter – so did they.
Roleplay, especially PBP is a strange medium and niche. In one instance, you’ve got the fact that everyone either knows or has access to, the lore of 40k, and yet in another, you may have picked a Chapter (or be running a homebrew) that has little known history. However sometimes you’ve got that weird twilight twixt recorded lore and general impressions of a faction, which leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Games Workshop are masters of this, painting with a broad enough brush to leave room for a Player to pick out what he wants, to tell his own story.
The Mantis Warriors are one such Chapter, but that approach is not good enough for me, because the deeper you can go, the better and more realistic the character becomes, the more layers can be added. What language do they use? What are their customs? What spiritual paths lead them to the Emperor? There is just no concrete information besides some awful fluff about Mantisae Religiosa. We simply do not know them – which to be fair, is par for the course for an insular, isolated people.
Or do we?
+++
When I came to my man from Ootheca, thankfully, I had a starting point. The Endymion Cluster is right next door to Badab, and just as afflicted by the Maelstrom Zone. It is heavily suggested that the Astral Claws are (with a few exceptions) based on the ancient Sumerians/Babylonians/Akkadians, later becoming the country we recognise as Iraq. I had researched this already for a previous character, and other projects without the scope of this forum, and this avenue provided me with a lot of material.
At the time, I knew very little of the Mantis Warriors outside the Imperial Armour IX/X books or the infamous WD 101, and would go on to consider their origins, modus operandi and naming conventions to place them further East. Indeed, there are several player-made articles and artworks which would suggest their propensity to make war via hit-and-run, proclivity to ambush, and Chapter credo placing them as either ninjas or samurai. Given their iconography looking suspiciously like Kamen Rider – a 1970’s TV series about a group of motorcycle riding superheroes with a Mantis-like insect motif, (and de rigueur exceptionally tight clothing), you can easily see the conflation.
So, where do they hail from?
"The winds of the desert care not whose bones they scour clean."
— Endymion Cluster proverb.
A solid compass heading for us to take! To be fair, my conclusions are nothing ground-breaking. Further research leads me to diminish Far Eastern influence/coincidence as a primary concept; however it is useful, as we will come to later. I now believe the Mantis Warriors are not so far flung, and are more at home in the ancient Parthian Empire, a major political and cultural power existing from 247 BC to 224 AD, initially spreading from the province of Parthia, to the Northeast of Iran.
The Empire itself spanned many modern countries, reaching all the way from Greece to the Indonesian isles. Their battle methodology of shoot-and-scoot, so remeniscent of the dreaded Mongolian horsemen the White Scars are based on, is another hefty clue. That empire provides us with a lot of room to work in, and is quite a nice symmetry with the Endymion Cluster itself, with plenty of tropical haunts, and empty desert spaces, over which the Mantis Warriors provide their envelope of staunch protection.
What further entrenched this idea was a snippet of the heroes fighting in the Badab War – in particular, a Hellfire-configuration dreadnought, the Venerable Secarssa, the Bow of Ma'Dan. (Imperial Armour Ten – The Badab War – Part 2, p.72). I submit that this likely refers to the Marsh Arabs, the inhabitants of the ancient Mesopotamian marshlands in the modern-day southern Iraq, these wetlands also straddling the Iraq-Iran border, and once again, the propensity of archery in both the name of the Honoured Brother and his devastating equipment loadout harken back to the Parthian Archers of so long ago, the bow a weapon with an unbroken lineage of over 5,000 years.
+++
At some point in time, the Mantis Warriors, like most of the White Scars’ offspring must come to terms with the haunting dark side of the Khagan’s wildling power – because like every other Astartes in the Deathwatch RPG, they have something called the Primarch’s Curse, which is a psychosis lingering in the deep hollows of the Quintessence Sacred.
How this manifests is tied firmly to their Primogenitor, and so, the terrible fury of Jagatai Khan flows thickly through a Mantis Warrior’s veins, bringing an echo of this potent Primarch into the present. So, how do they deal with it? This is a question we can answer now we have an idea of where our Character and the humour of his Chapter originate.
Fervour and foresight play heavily into the mix with the Mantis Warriors, with the Chapter’s spiritual core ‘tempered by Dark Prophecy’. This isn’t a surprise considering the etymology of the Chapter name (Mantis, in Greek, means Prophet). Games Workshop love doing this, leaving little breadcrumbs for us to follow, and it would be rude not to.
One of the main figures within the Badab setting is Ahazra Redth, the Dust Prophet, Guardian of the Endymion Cluster, and Chief Librarian of the Mantis Warriors, interestingly an incarnation who also bears a passing resemblance to Paul Atriedes (calm down, Stilgar!) from Frank Herbert’s Dune.
I submit that his name also vaguely echoes the spiritual figure of Azura Mazda, the figurehead of the Zoroastrian religion – which again – was very common in the Parthian Empire, and Persia in particular. I make no other parallels; I just found the geographical and spiritual occurrences interesting in the context of the topic at hand. In a further coincidence, Zoroastrianism contains a figure which we recognise as Ahriman, who is reasonably board appropriate, so make of that what you will.
Earlier, I mentioned that we should not entirely dismiss the Eastern or Oriental inflections of the Mantis Warriors’ origins. The ecological and geographical diversity of the Endymion Cluster is quite broad, and with training grounds on Tranquillity II and Tranquillity III we find the Mantidae Bellicosa hail also from a death world of deep jungles and mountainous, windswept crags. Indeed, the Mantis Warriors’ main established base outside of Ootheca, is placed within the Valley of The Nine Winds, which could be related to either the nine cuts of the sword as recognised by the ancient Celts, or the Nine Ryu Schools of Bujinkan Budō Taijutsu, which in turn are closely related to Ninjitsu.
'Kamen Rider! Henshin!' (Transform!)
+++
The transformation of the Manga/Anime et al superhero mentioned above moves him into a battle-haze, with supernatural powers and speed. Here then, are those influences which interest us, loosely aligning with the particular condition of our eponymous Space Marines, the Mantisae Religiosa. Formed into a death cult within each Battle Company, it is a strange interaction between the Preomnor Implant and that quirky geneseed we mentioned before. The battle haze is a transformation wherein a brother finds himself with tunnel vision, ignorant of anything which is outside his immediate, murderous objective, but the condition provides him with uncanny agility and alacrity, not unlike the motorcycle warrior (and of course, the voracious predator). It is here, I think that GW beats us over the head with it, thankfully stopping shy of Mantis Missiles, Mantis-hawks, and Mantis Death Metal.
Jagatai be praised.
‘To think is to do – to do; is to be.’
- The Principle of Alahk Geh.
Given that the Far East has used the iconography of Mantids in many forms, and has some of the most beautiful living examples of the genus, it is easy to see where the influence bleeds in. One aspect of this connection we should not ignore is the prevalence of the spiritual married with the corporeal through Shintoism and Buddhism.
The first honours the ancestors, the second we regard for the teachings of balance and atonement. Coupled with the desire to follow the path of enlightenment, and stand against the darkness from our Persian-planted roots; and we now have a powerful spiritual depth without contradiction, the press towards penitence in the contemplative pose of the prayerful supplicant.
Obviously there is another martial exemplar here: the White Scars principle/performance of action-as-thought: Dreadful Perfection, Elemental Force. A broad scope you could call Zen Buddhist-led Bushido. The overriding tenet we are encouraged to take from this, then, should be as follows: that there is no disassociation between thought and action in the mind of the Khagan, there should be none in the locus of force exerted by the Mantis Warrior.
How Inscrutable, mysterious and apropos. Perfect -and yet, as stated above, in my opinion, this should be considered a secondary theme, an overlay if you will, to the stronger evidence of Parthian heritage.
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Imperial Reivers Captain arrives for battle
After testing out various schemes to get the colour I want, and proposing all my cloth/cloaks etc to be Tartan, here is my Terminator Captain incorporating all the elements I have been toying with.
The Armour recipe I'm going with:
Base of Naggaroth Night (or Leviathan purple contrast)
Layer up with Asurmen Blue then Teclis Blue.
Highlights with Teclis Blue and Moot green
The Tartan is based on the Kilt I have which I can't remember the name of... Something Mist or such like.
Eshin Grey base, wide stripes of Abaddon black, thinner stripes of Incubai Darkness, then lines of Genestealer purple and white. Though I might use something less "in your face" as the white next time. And obviously practice freehand lining and use a thinner brush for the lines.
The stone base is to give the effect of Edinburgh Sandstone (not covered in soot and grim!), and the Tyranid is my own scheme of black with green.
His icon above his head is falling off, so I'll need to fix that (again!) or replace it.
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War of the False Primarch / #HiddenArmies WIP 1/5
The Black Riders (Marcachi Dubh) are a small, roving fleet of Eldar Anhrathe, under charter to [REDACTED] as of this writing. Their force balance tends to skew towards more strategically mobile, less logistically-bound assets — either swift-moving jetbike-mounted raiders, speeders, or pedites. Their colors are as riotous and non-uniform as expected of Corsairs, yet a distinct preference for darker tones has been noted fleet-wide.
Overall, the temperament of the Marcachi Dubh could be described as phlegmatic for Corsairs. This could be attributed to the marked presence of former members of the Eldar’s religio-military orders in their ranks, or to the philosophy they hold. Unusually for Outcasts, the several Coteries of the Black Riders encourage a sort of martial code of honor amongst their lot. While this restrains the worst impulses one might expect of their sort, it does not lessen their savagery against their foes.
Hard to tell what they want, these Eldar mercenaries. Seems like they’re just here for the scrap, sometimes. They sure cut through the Partisans like Betcher’s Bugs, though![
//Anonymous]
Notably, the Marcachi Dubh had a marked rivalry with the Dain-Mir Eldar, for a variety of reasons. Firstly, it seems that the two had chosen opposing sides of the war, with the Black Riders choosing to seemingly throw their weight behind the loyalists. Secondly, there seemed to be the element of vendetta. At some point, the Dain-Mir appeared to have wronged the Riders, such that the wrath of the entire band was turned upon the Craftworld. Powerless to put paid to their foes, their alien psyches collectively turned to obsessive vengeance-seeking:
You pay — in blood or goods, Dhain-Muir. Since the latter is out of the question…
[[//Baron Ra’tar]]
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A Quarter Century in the Warhammer Hobby
I've been in the Warhammer hobby for 25 years, beginning with my first love: the Wood Elves of Warhammer Fantasy Battles. The allure of these forest-dwelling warriors hooked me early on, and I became immersed in the world of dice rolls, paints, and detailed lore.
As I ventured into Warhammer 40,000 in 3rd Edition, my collection expanded to include the zeal of the Black Templars, the supernatural intensity of the Daemonhunters, and the tactical allure of the T’au. Each faction brought its own unique style to my growing collection, and I found new strategies and stories to explore within each one.
College led me to take a break from the game, but when 8th Edition arrived, I was drawn back in. I’m now as dedicated as ever, revisiting old favorites and exploring new ones. After 25 years, Warhammer continues to be a place where imagination, creativity, and strategy come together, one tabletop battle at a time.
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Space Marine Honour Guard
Something a little different this time.
I decided I would kitbash some Honour Guard for the Swords of Fire (my homebrew IH successors). I have 10 Honour Guard based off the old Sanguinary Guard kit so I decided to do something different this time around and use the 30K MVI Command Squad with an assortment of veteran parts from my bits box.
Here's the initial progress picture with more to come:
The sheathed sword on the Chapter Ancient is from the old Sternguard Veteran kit.
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1 Week White Scars Challenge
Last weekend I went to the Route 66 GT Kill Team tournament in Sepulpa OK, and ahead of that tournament I decided to challenge myself to go from sprue to painted on the 4 additional marines I needed to round out my team.
Angels of Death is the new marine Kill-Team for the new KT24 edition, which combines Strike force Justinian and Intercession squad from KT21. In order to round out my list I needed to add a grenadier, a grenade launcher gunner, an omni-sergeant (intercessor and assault flavors), and an additional assault marine. After digging around in the bitz box (and sacrificing one previously completed model for the grenade launcher) I had 4 pretty good looking bodies!
Chain sabers, helmets and decorations all came out of the White Scars primaris upgrade blister, grenade arm is from the Raven Guard upgrade blister. The power sword and hawk are both part of the Kor'sarro Khan mini (the body of which made up my captain, officially using all parts of the Kahn for this team.
I absolutely love the "movement" of the assault marines, the grenadier in particular is probably my favorite model, looking like a coiled spring ready to explode in motion.
I detailed my paint scheme in the previous post so I wont go back into it here, but painting them came together pretty quickly
I'd mostly finished painting them by around Wednesday, and started in on the bases. I still had plenty of stones saved from the last time I worked on these models so I dug around for a few good fits, and then proceeded to try and revitalize dry terrain paste to re-create the desert ground.
Unlike the model paint scheme, I kept next to no notes on the colors I used on the bases, so I had to tinker around until I found colors that pretty closely (though not exactly) matched my previous models. Despite being a bit frustrated by the experience I'll learn nothing from it because I didn't write this one down either. Apparently I'd much rather work harder than smarter.
All said and done though they fit pretty seamlessly into the display board, and I would wager 9/10 people can't spot the difference without really studying them. All said and done I finished with these models by Thursday, 3 days ahead of my need-by date.
I love these models and really enjoyed taking a break from my terrain projects to knock them out, the grenadier is one of my new favorite models I've ever made. The event itself was also a blast, met and played against a bunch of great people, managing to take home both first place and best painted!
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Helmets of Blue
Painted up the helmet and I love it so much! But I'm left wondering what GW was smoking when they named Stegadon Scale Green and Sotek Green. Those are the paints I used here...
I also am working on the tabard. Mostly happy with it, but I overshaded it and need to bring it up a bit.
Cheers!
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Opening thoughts, the concept
Several ideas rumbling around in my brain, just wanted to get them down finally. I have a growing collection of various imperium forces, and wanted them to sort of tie in with each other somewhat. A group of various imperial organizations that work together to defend and expand their small sector of space, located on one of the edges of imperial control, a frontier as it were. Primarily this would consist of my space marines, as well well as the SoB, AM/IG, Necromunda and Kill Team models I have been collecting/hoarding. Some flavour on the prganizations inulded follows.
The Iron Boots (working chapter title) were established during one of the more troubled foundings (perhaps the cursed one, I haven't decided) to patrol a troublesome yet remote corner of the empire, with a mandate to change a frontier zone of newly discovered planets into proper imperial settlements, eliminating xenos, and bringing the emperor's blessed rule to the human populations in the area. They have been fairly successful in this, establishing a Chapter/hive planet, a prison/manufactorum world for those whose lives are forfeit to the emperor, but don't require immediate execution, and bringing several formerly independent lost colonies into the imperium.
The chapter is joined in their efforts to subjugate the frontier by the planetary defense forces from their controlled planets, collectively known as the PSPD( working title, planetary and sector pacification divisions), aka the Raging Boars, elements from The Scarlet Order of His Eternal Flame and Les Gardiennes du Sang-Precieux (orders minoris of sisters of battle), established on 2 rival shrine worlds in the sector to support imperial expansion in the area, as well as penal legions raised from the local area (a small but particularly vicious regiment of note would be the Violators, led by Prisoner-Brigadier "Violent" Violet Vulpes. It's ranks consist almost exclusively of female gangers sentenced to death for crimes against planetary or imperial law, though exceptions have been made in times of heavy losses in the past.) When on the march collectively, as has occurred to fend off ork and tyrannid incursions, as well as to to conquer new territories, the combined force is called an Armata Strigoi, a group of the Imperium's most feared monsters to dispute any that might oppose it's rule.
As a frontier area, there is a small but politically important Adeptus Arbites and Inquisition presence, some who have even joined/requested an Armata Strigoi against particularly vile threats to the imperium.
Also noted as active in the area, though not necessarily in collaboration with the Armata Strigoi, have been several Astra Miltarum Regiments and sightings of one or more of the Great Companies of the Space Wolves (these would be the imperial armies of other players in my group)
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I recently started experimenting with oils, opting to smear a magenta/purple oil wash on my Great unclean one (on the tentacles, stomach and guts) with rather good results, if I do say so myself:
So, yeah, oil washes are good, if you want to use them, but what if you don't? Well, have no fear, I still have some tips for you!
There's a little oil wash on the back here, but much of the purple/magenta is actually done only with thinned acrylics and some washes and contrasts. AND, it was surprisingly easy, as I basically just splattered it on semi-randomly and let it dry, not caring if it dried slightly blotchy (in this case that was just a bonus, as it would look gross. On a less nurgley model, I would thin with contrast medium rather than water, to avoid splotchiness and keep the effect more subtle).
My GUO did take a while to paint, but if you like it, I have some very good news for you: it didn't take very long and I didn't really do anything difficult or use any strange products or chemicals. Apart from the newly added effects, everything was done with a couple of brushes (some big cheap ones and my regular model brushes), regular GW acrylics, a couple of shades and contrasts, some sand and some Nurgle's rot for the base. I didn't do any fancy techniques like wetblending or the like either - in fact, many areas aren't really shaded or highlighted at all, if you look closely and I purposefully didn't even pick out all the little details (for artistic and laziness reasons).
Here's how he looked before the oils (regrettably he's upside down, but I was living in a no-gravity environment at the time...)
Assuming you like the result, I think the big thing to take away from my GUO is that painting models that are almost all skin/flesh doesn't need to be difficult at all, as long as you avoid the biggest pitfall of all: having all the skin be the same base colour, highlight and shade colour, because no matter how well you do it, it can easily come off as a bit boring and "plastic toy" looking.
As far as I'm concerned, the only real key to making a big figure like this look good is to have different colours mixed in here and there, so the overall result is varied - it will look much more "natural", even if you're not a master of placing shadows and highlights, simply because real skin is not the same colour everywhere on your body (well, I assume not, I can only speak for myself, of course...). We don't get the same problem with smaller minis, simply because they're smaller, so the skin being the same colour everywhere isn't as noticeable.
Here's another example:
Incidentally, we see the same thing with terrain, where painting it like you would a regular miniature sometimes ends up looking worse than doing something much simpler that just looks better at that scale. But more about that in another post
And to finish off, a couple of shots of some poxwalkers I'm experimenting on. One has had an all-over wash of the same purple/magenta wash taht I used on the GUO, another has had a more targeted application and the last one hasn't had any at all. As you can see, oil washes seem to have a lot of potential for painting skin and gross features, but it's not really a necessity at all, as long as you're not too afraid of putting different colours into the skin areas.
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fluff creation and whatnots
One of my group got his Heresy army stolen so I have been busy helping him rebuild it sorry for the lack of entries on here.
but....
I am working on concept and background for the main world our group is fighting over.
Praxia (Khymare, post heresy)
Reconstructed during the great crusade by a expeditionary fleet of the 4th and 19th legion,The old world was a mining hub during the dark age of technology.
Being a planet that was cracked and still maintained shape, its bounty of adamantine and vanadium was coveted by the imperium. the cracked continent became a moon used to bombard the planet to make 'smaller' mining sites.
its atmosphere barely breathable without respirators, the population mainly lives in a Hive city known as port rift, which was built on the precipice of the great rift from the dark ages.
the 19th found the world on a scouting mission, on landing, they found a dead world being patrolled by large mining machinery and were attacked, being repulsed from the world, they called upon a fleet of the 4th nearby, knowing they had the titan support needed to fight the leviathan robots.
legio krytos landed on the planet, and after a short and very violent battle, the great mining machines were defeated.
The 19th sent teams into the abandoned hive and encountered feral servitors in the thousands, now enraged by the death of their gods. with assistance with the krytos tagmata
and several companies of thorkatai. they cleared the hive of the infected machines.
In the heart of the hive the found a colony of human descended creatures. being bred by the great mining machines to continue the maintenance of the hive and to process and package the ores for the pick up that never came.Upon seeing the changes that came upon generations of inbreeding and surviving in the darkness, the imperial forces had to exterminate them due to compliance regulations.
After the cleansing the planet was repopulated with colonists from both fleets, along with a regiment of thorkatai, and a small magos congregation. the planet was awarded to Severn the Wretched, a veteran of the 4th, a survivor of the black judge campaign, that was entombed into a lucifer pattern dreadnought and was unable to be transferred to a modern suit.Krytos collected the very large surplus of adamantine and vanadium, and used reconsecrated parts of the mining robots to christen 2 new titans the warbringer class titan "voice of the metropolis"
and rebuilt the warlord class "spirit of motherwill" that was severely damaged during the reclaiming of the world.after settlement, the fleets of the 19th and 4th continued on.
decades passed with Severn being a productive yet tyrannical leader.
During the Heresy, The 4th and 19th clashed for the world with allies from the Imperial Fists, White Scars, Alpha Legion, and Word bearers. During the opening exchange the battlecruiser 'Olympia's folly' was critically damaged and crash-landed onto the planet, the daemon engines in its hold being crushed and causing a warp rift spilling daemons onto the surface.
Lord Governor Severn (Idea for a custom character, input much appreciated, looking at using the arbite dreadnought for the basis of the kit)Monstrous Character WS 5 BS 5 S 5 T 5 W 4 I 3 A 4 LD 9 2+
USRs: Fear 1, independent character, legion astartes (iron warriors), Monster of men, stubborn, provenances of war.
Equipment Lash of the black judge, 3 twin bolters, volkite culverin, deflector shields
lash of the black judge:
a trophy of that campaign he kept a lash hidden for most of his career, after his punishment of being interred into a lucifer pattern dreadnought, the warsmith he was assigned to had it attached to the suit as tribute of his previous campaign. Range: melee S user AP 4 breaching (5+)
Deflector shields:
the progenitor of atomatic shielding, it grants a 5+ invulnerable save, it does not grant any defense against instant death, and upon his last wound being removed he explodes doing a S 8 AP - hit to any models with d6"
Monster of Men:
Severn can only be taken in a traitor imperialis milita army, and must be the warlord if able. he has the ruthless tyrant warlord trait, even with the monstrous subtype he can join any unit of infantry, but cannot join any monstrous unit. He retains his astartes rules but not the special reaction, he does not grant that ability to any unit he joins.
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Death guard 30k? Completed it m8
Picture heavy post
A group shot of my 30k deathguard now they're done
A long time in the works
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Long time no Blog...
Oof, not done one of these for a while have I?
Well, life goes on but I'm still here and still hobbying.
My last blog post was in April 2023, just prior to Warhammer Fest in Manchester, and the main topic of that post was the possibility of Epic making a return, and if it did return, how it would work and what the setting would be etc. Lo and behold they did announce it at WH fest, or tease it to be more accurate. Fast forward to today and Legion Imperialis is here and slowly chugging on. I have to admit to being slightly saddened to see that its not been as heavily pushed or promoted by Games Workshop as I thought it would be, but there's still plenty of time left and hopefully its not on a Three year cycle and will be around and expanded beyond the Horus Heresy setting.
Anyway, enough about Epic, on to current projects of which there are many! I've just finished assembling and have started to paint the contents of Necromunda: Hive Secundus, and I'm looking forward to getting some games in. I do like the Secundus setting and theme, it does have an Aliens vibe to it and I'd love to see some other House equivalents of the Van Saar Tek Hunters, like an Orlock treasure hunting team etc.
I've also (at the time of writing) got Kill Team Hivestorm on the way and I can't wait to get my hands on the Vespid Stingwings! The Tempestus Aquilons hold no interest for me so I'll probably sell them on, just give me my killer bugs with new guns!
I'm also still faffing with The Old World and building my Tomb Kings, and I've been building and painting Star Wars Shatterpoint squads, but can't really go into those games on here lest I catch the eye of the Inquisition!
Currently on my desk, alongside the Secundus stuff, is Inquisitor Ostromandeus which is one of the the Warhammer+ Year 4 minis offered to subscribers. Its a nice miniature, as is his helper Stentor I-52 that looks like a 40k Xenomorph, and he is a much nicer Inquisitor than the new Coteaz which was not great, and its a shame more people won;t get their hands on it unless they sub to Warhammer+ or pay for it on Ebay.
Lastly on the desk, I succumbed to the many Instagram adverts that I was seeing, and bought one of these:
Normally I tend to ignore ads on social media, but to be fair this genuinely caught my eye. Its an interesting concept and I quite like the idea of it. I wanted a new wet palette to try, and have been using just a glass jar or a mug for my paint water, so figured why not give it a whirl. I've done a video review for anyone curious as to what its really like and whats in the box etc, and posted it in the Forge HERE
FYI - I hadn't tried the wet palette at the time of recording, but I have used it since and while its smaller than my Army Painter one, the two wet palettes clipped together have the same sort of area as the Army Painter one and I've found that the palette paper lies smoother on the sponge too, whereas my AP one tends to crinkle easily.
Right, I think I've gone on long enough for now, and I will try to update this blog on a regular basis and I do enjoy writing them if I'm honest.
If anyone is actually reading this, hope you are all good!
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Chat Gpts initial thoughts.
Out of interest I asked chat gpt what a conference would look like. A lot of what it said is very similar to what I was thinking. Either ny thoughts are generic or perhaps it scraped it from my post.
Some of the stuff I definitely wasn't thinking. Merchandise for example is not something I was thinking about. If I do approach the people who run the site they might consider it, but it's not something I'm going to touch
I'd love to know what people think. I'm not too experienced with blog posts. Perhaps people can't see them or don't look at them. If this doesn't get any traction I may just shelve the idea or leave it open to others to tale over.
Anyway here's chat gpts thoughts. Please let me know what you think.
If the users of Bolter and Chainsword (B&C)—a community focused on Warhammer 40,000 Space Marines and related topics—were to hold an online conference, it would likely reflect the community's passion for the Warhammer 40K universe, its lore, and its tabletop games. Here's what such an event might look like:
1. Platform and Setup
- The conference would most likely take place on a platform like Discord, Zoom, or a dedicated virtual convention platform with text channels, video streams, and shared content rooms.
- The event could feature breakout rooms dedicated to different Space Marine chapters, painting techniques, army-building strategies, and lore discussions.
2. Event Themes and Tracks
The conference could have multiple tracks based on the different interests within the B&C community:
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Lore and Storytelling Panels: Discussions on Warhammer 40K lore, especially focusing on Space Marines. Panels might include debates about the history and evolution of famous Chapters like the Ultramarines, Blood Angels, Space Wolves, and more. There could be theory crafting, future predictions, and lore deep dives into the various Black Library novels.
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Tactics and Gaming Workshops: Sessions on army-building strategies, how to field competitive Space Marine armies, and tips for various Warhammer 40K editions and expansions. There could be deep-dive breakdowns on units, Codex strategies, and competitive tactics from experienced players.
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Painting and Hobby Showcases: Since painting and modeling are key parts of the Warhammer 40K hobby, there would likely be workshops on various painting techniques, kitbashing, and terrain-building tutorials. Live painting demonstrations, "paint-alongs," or Q&A sessions with professional painters could be a highlight.
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Conversions and Modeling Tutorials: Given the popularity of unique customizations and conversions in the Warhammer community, sessions focusing on converting models and making unique figures could be popular. There could be competitions for best custom miniatures.
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Fan Fiction and Creative Writing: A place for fans to share their own fan fiction, stories, and character bios. There could be a panel on how to write compelling stories within the 40K universe, perhaps with guest writers or authors from the Black Library.
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Competitive Play Streams: Live-streamed Warhammer 40K battles featuring different chapters and factions. These could be playthroughs of competitive games or narrative-driven campaigns. Players could walk the audience through their tactical decisions as they play.
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Chapter-Specific Meetups: Smaller virtual rooms or sessions where fans of specific Space Marine chapters can discuss their favorite units, lore, and strategies. These would act as "fandom subgroups" where attendees could meet fellow fans of the Blood Angels, Iron Hands, or Deathwatch, for instance.
3. Guest Speakers and Panels
- The event would likely attract a number of prominent members from the wider Warhammer 40K community, including Black Library authors, well-known painters, and possibly even representatives from Games Workshop itself.
- Panel discussions on upcoming releases, updates to the game’s rules, or interviews with community influencers who run popular YouTube channels, podcasts, or blogs devoted to the 40K universe.
4. Contests and Tournaments
- Painting Competitions: Online galleries where participants submit their painted models for judging by peers or guest judges.
- Army Showcase: A space for players to show off their fully painted armies, especially unique builds or those based on obscure or custom chapters.
- Online Tournament: An online tabletop simulator or Warhammer 40K game tournament where participants can battle it out with their armies. Prizes or rankings could be given for the top players.
5. Exclusive Content and Merch
- Attendees might be offered exclusive downloads such as wallpapers, printable terrain, or even early access to upcoming fan-made codices or supplements created by the community.
- Custom artwork or merchandise, such as chapter-specific shirts or patches, could be available for purchase, allowing fans to rep their favorite factions.
6. Networking and Community Engagement
- A core part of any conference would be the chance for like-minded individuals to meet, chat, and share their hobby. There could be dedicated networking times or casual chat rooms where players discuss their collections, upcoming projects, or the latest happenings in the Warhammer 40K universe.
- Forum integration would allow for discussions from the conference to spill over into the site's traditional areas, with threads dedicated to follow-ups from panels, contest results, or post-event analysis.
7. Technology-Enhanced Interaction
- Virtual Painting Room: With screen-sharing, attendees could work on painting miniatures together virtually, with experienced painters giving live feedback on technique and color schemes.
- Tabletop Simulator Integration: Warhammer 40K battles could be simulated using tools like Tabletop Simulator, allowing for remote players to participate in battle reports, streamed games, or even tutorials on the platform.
8. Fan-Driven Content
- Much of the event could feature community-generated content, with fans submitting proposals for panels, leading chapter-specific discussions, or hosting mini-games and contests.
- There could be collaborative world-building or story-writing exercises where attendees help build a new Space Marine chapter or craft a battle scenario for the community to use.
9. Charity Drives
- As part of the conference, the community might rally around a charitable cause, organizing auctions for painted miniatures, limited-edition models, or other fan-created items with proceeds going to veteran organizations or child-focused charities.
In essence, a Bolter and Chainsword online conference would bring together the various facets of the Warhammer 40K hobby—painting, gaming, lore, and community-building—under a shared love for the Space Marines and the grimdark future. It would blend professional content with fan-driven creativity, fostering an inclusive and enthusiastic environment for newcomers and veterans alike.
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DarkMyth Dungeon [KICKSTARTER]
Introducing [url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/saucermenstudios/darkmyth-dungeon?ref=3o816f]DarkMyth Dungeon[/url], the ultimate modular, 3D printable terrain set designed for fantasy RPGs and skirmish wargames!
Whether you're crafting epic RPG encounters or building a dynamic tabletop battlefield, this set has you covered. It works perfectly as a stand-alone set or can be expanded with our Assault Series Terrain, including popular sets like DarkHyve Assault.
Create sprawling dungeons, enemy lairs, or towering wizard strongholds with ease using our glue-free 'push-fit' system. Designed for maximum flexibility, you can stack pieces vertically or extend layouts horizontally for endless creative possibilities.
Optimized for FDM printing but also prints great in resin
[b][url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/saucermenstudios/darkmyth-dungeon?ref=3o816f]
JOIN THE KICKSTARTER PRE-LAUNCH TODAY[/url]![/b]
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Where to go with 40k?
(Wherein the author discovers that the Horus Heresy ruleset is more to his liking, even if Orks aren't officially supported)
So, earlier this year, around January, I came to the realization that I was burnt out on keeping up with the Space Marine releases. The more that came out, the less I wanted to have anything to do with them; I was just buying them to have. I also admitted to myself that I didn't really like the lore changes that GW's team were applying to the game - this isn't the space to rehash the endless debate about Primaris Marines, but they're not to my taste. The evolving ruleset, as it changed from 8th to 9th, then to 10th, has also pushed me away; the more legalistic emphasis is surprisingly hard to keep straight in my head. So I sold off the new Marines, still in their boxes, and put away the old ones, and poked around other games in the meantime. Helpfully, GW just released a new edition of Age of Sigmar, as well as The Old World (good thing I kept my Tomb Kings!) so I had some background hobby stuff still happening.
But where do I go with my far-future aspirations? I'm still fond of the setting, even with *everything* going on.
A few friends had been talking up the Horus Heresy 2.0 rules, and it sounded like they were having fun with it! I had a small trial game with the Imperialis Militia, and that was fun, though I'd be rebuilding from scratch. (Mind you, Victoria Miniatures has some gorgeous not-Tallarn Desert Scorpions that I've started collecting). I still wasn't feeling like working on Space Marines, plus my Blood Ravens don't exist in the Heresy era (and I'm pretty tired of jokes about the Thousand Sons...). So that left my Orks.
Those of you who've explored the Xenos sections of the site will likely have seen my occasional forays into Ork-dom and I've added to my ladz as the new stuff has been added. I thought that I might be able to pull together something out of the old rulebooks from 5th and 7th Edition, even if it required a bit of work. Then one day, I stumbled across a fan-made work that covered effectively everything I already had: https://xenos-orks.tumblr.com. It was like I felt the touch of Gork (or possibly Mork)! I've played a few games with this army list against my friends, and oh my, it felt like I had come home. Even better, my friends have enjoyed the experience, too! I'm really excited to dig into my Orks again, and a few old ideas for converted wagons have been dusted off - the future is looking bright!
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Expedition VI - Dakota Minor, 924M41
+++ PREFACE +++After a frustrating and costly tour of the Cellebos Warbone, Kill Team Rapier (at the time comprised Alyxander, Rarai’an, Auranis and Validus) had a chance meeting with Inquisitor Jemini Malethann. He was concerned with the myriad xenos incursions within the Matteus Subsector, and was headhunting experienced Deathwatch Astartes to investigate these threats.
Kill Team Rapier welcomed the opportunity to adapt their xeno-hunting skills in an arena free of the political infighting of the Jericho Reach. With the permission of their Watch-Commander, they relocated to the Segmentum Obscurus to assist Malethann's operations. Once there, they were formally introduced to the Inquisitor’s cohort and their newest Astartes members: Gorlin and Lucena.
+++ EXPEDITION IV - DAKOTA MINOR +++Kill-Team Rapier's first major assignment in the Matteus Subsector was on Dakota Minor, to investigate the growing Ork presence within the rocky forests native to the planet. The Orks had persisted forty years after their invasion of Dakota Minor, and it was speculated a new Warboss had risen up to lead the directionless Orks lurking in the forests. Meanwhile, the equally disorganised Dakota Minor Defence Corps was itching to charge head-first into the Ork-infested jungle; their confidence sky-high from their victory over the Orks decades ago.
Fearing a needless slaughter and a second Ork incursion on Dakota Minor, Malethann dispatched Kill Team Rapier to soften the Ork threat before the local PDF got involved. Their mission: reconnoiter the forests, determine the Ork strength, and if the opportunity presents itself, eliminate their leader.
The following transcript and pict-feed highlights are a record of their mission.
++++INLOAD BEGINS++++
+++KILL TEAM RAPIER OPERATIONAL REPORT – DAKOTA MINOR 989.924M41+++
++FOR THE EYES OF INQUISITOR JEMINI MALETHANN ONLY++As per your instruction, Inquisitor: a report of our operations on Dakota Minor.
Events were logged as deemed pertinent. Time zero begins at 1515h 971.924M41.
Composition: Alyxander (Leader), Auranis, Rarai’an, Validus, Gorlin
+CARRY THE EMPEROR'S WILL AS YOUR TORCH; WITH IT, DESTROY THE SHADOWS+
+0 days, 00:00
+MANUAL ENTRY+
Deployment by Blackstar into the jungle.
Gorlin and Validus scouted ahead; no resistance, no signs we were detected.
Kill Team Rapier proceeded to marker Primus.
+0 days, 01:27
++VISUAL FEED STILL 001 - KILL TEAM RAPIER INTERNAL NOOSPHERE++
Kill Team Rapier enter the rocky forests of Dakota Minor, in search for the Ork warband.
+0 days, 03:55
+MANUAL ENTRY+
Kill Team Rapier arrives at marker Primus (co-ord 016.32 x 047.69).
Ork tracks identified. No sign of standing forces, ally or foe. Proceeding to marker Secondus.
+0 days, 06:00
++AUDIO FEED 001 - KILL TEAM RAPIER INTERNAL VOX-LINK++
VALIDUS: Bearing two-two-one.
ALYXANDER: A small rabble.
RARAI'AN: They may lead to the greater horde.
ALYXANDER: We follow them. Auranis, acknowledge?
AURANIS: Acknowledged. Gorlin, we are moving on.
+0 days, 18:50
++AUDIO FEED 002 - KILL TEAM RAPIER INTERNAL VOX-LINK++
ALYXANDER: A large horde, bearing zero-seven-three.
VALIDUS: Some large Orks, but not-
GORLIN: Orks approaching our position.
ALYXANDER: On what bearing?
GORLIN: Behind us!
RARAI'AN: Specifics, Gorlin!
ALYXANDER: Validus, hold here and watch that horde. Auranis, I am returning to you.
AURANIS: Acknowledged. Gorlin, provide bearing on the Orks!
GORLIN: ... Fifty metres ... at zero-seven-zero, approaching on foot!
ALYXANDER: They will have our scent. How many?
GORLIN: Fifteen... More!
ALYXANDER: Hold fire. Wait for my signal.
GORLIN: Die! <Ork roaring>
ALYXANDER: Curse it! Rapier, engage at will!
<15 seconds of non-vocal combat audio>
VALIDUS: Sergeant, the horde is turning to us.
GORLIN: We can take them!
ALYXANDER: No, we cannot! Rapier, tactical withdrawal bearing three-three-zero.
RARAI'AN: Auranis, watch your right!
AURANIS: <unintelligible; cry of pain?>
GORLIN: Xenos filth!ALYXANDER: Rapier, move!
+0 days, 18:51
++VISUAL FEED STILL 002 - KILL TEAM RAPIER INTERNAL NOOSPHERE++
Members of Kill Team Rapier are ambushed by an Orb mob while on reconnaissance.
+1 days, 08:56
+MANUAL ENTRY+
Kill Team Rapier sighted a large horde of Orks. Estimated 200 strong, with 10 to 20 scrap-form vehicles.
Were forced to engage a small band of Orks approaching our position.
Half were slain, but we were forced to withdraw before the much larger horde approached our position.
+1 days, 13:50
++AUDIO FEED 002 - KILL TEAM RAPIER INTERNAL VOX-LINK++
AURANIS: I count twenty to twenty-five Ork scrap units. Five hundred metres, bearing two-nine-zero.
VALIDUS: Logged. How is your injury?
AURANIS: It will heal.
VALIDUS: I have a reserve bolter.
AURANIS: I can still carry the cannon. But thank you, brother.
+1 days, 19:33
++VISUAL FEED STILL 003 - KILL TEAM RAPIER INTERNAL NOOSPHERE++
A column of Ork armour is spotted by Kill Team Rapier, as they maneouvre deeper into the forest.
+1 days, 21:26
+MANUAL ENTRY+
Multiple Ork units were sighted and numbers recorded.
Initial estimates of two thousand fighting bodies and forty armour assets.
Scrap units were limited to small to medium sized vehicles. Many of them scrap-walkers and defiled Chimeras.
+2 days, 00:32
++AUDIO FEED 003 - KILL TEAM RAPIER INTERNAL VOX-LINK++
ALYXANDER: Validus, another horde approaches.
VALIDUS: ... No sighting of a leader.
ALYXANDER: There must be a larger concentration, still within the forest.
GORLIN: Filthy and wretched-
RARAI'AN: Gorlin, be silent!
AURANIS: It has been forty-eight hours, brother. We have sufficient reconnaissance data. Neutralising the Ork Warboss was a secondary objective.
ALYXANDER: I am not leaving the fate of this world in that Corps Commander's hands. He is a fool, and they are drunk on their victory over the Orks so long ago.
VALIDUS: A Salamanders' victory.
ALYXANDER: Indeed. I will not settle for partial success. We will not have a second incursion on Dakota Minor.
GORLIN: We are His Angels!
RARAI'AN: And death is our gift.
ALYXANDER: Validus?
VALIDUS: Agreed.
ALYXANDER: Auranis?
AURANIS: ... Very well. Let us hunt this Ork.
+2 days, 11:59
+MANUAL ENTRY+
Rapier continued to reconnitore the forest, in search of the Ork leader.
Small mobs were engaged and dispatched.
Will continue to search the forest for another 60 hours before moving to Marker Terminus for exfiltration.
+2 days, 21:47
++AUDIO FEED 004 - KILL TEAM RAPIER INTERNAL VOX-LINK++
ALYXANDER: Validus. Eyes on an Ork at bearing three-four-eight.
VALIDUS: Sighted. Inloading to the feed.
AURANIS: That is not the Ork leader.
GORLIN: How do you know?
AURANIS: Do you see the spanner sigil?
GORLIN: What of it?
AURANIS: That is indicative of one of their mechanic -
GORLIN: How would you know this?
AURANIS: The Deathwatch Librarius. Somewhere you will start to frequent once this is over.
GORLIN: I do not devolve myself to study -
AURANIS: This is not debatable. We study our enemies, so we can destroy them!
ALYXANDER: Enough, both of you. I agree, Auranis. It is not the Leader. We are less than a kilometre from their camp now. Move out.
+3 days, 01:10
++VISUAL FEED STILL 004 - KILL TEAM RAPIER INTERNAL NOOSPHERE++
The suspected Ork Warboss is sighted, as Kill Team Rapier positions themselves for a killing strike.
+3 days, 01:10
++AUDIO FEED 005 - KILL TEAM RAPIER INTERNAL VOX-LINK++
RARAI'AN: I see the leader.
VALIDUS: Bearing?
RARAI'AN: Three-zero-nine.
ALYXANDER: Sighted... Inloading... Auranis?
AURANIS: ... A high-ranking leader, certainly.
ALYXANDER: You seem unconvinced, brother.
AURANIS: It is hard to judge without understanding the full scale of the Ork infestation.
RARAI'AN: If there are no other contenders?
ALYXANDER: I will make the call. The Ork is marked for termination.
VALIDUS: Loading Kraken.
AURANIS: Wait. Let me line up a shot in tandem. It may have a refractor field.
RARAI'AN: Be ready, brothers. They will run amock once it is dead.
VALIDUS: Neutralising... <bolter discharge>
AURANIS: <frag cannon discharge>
ALYXANDER: ... Confirmed kill.
GORLIN: Ha! That was easy.
AURANIS: Indeed, easy...
RARAI'AN: What of the horde?
VALIDUS: ... Squabbling amongst themselves. Infighting.
GORLIN: Orks approaching, one-seven-nine!
RARAI'AN: A lot of them!
ALYXANDER: Rapier, engage the beasts! <heavy weapons fire>
RARAI'AN: Artillery incoming!
ALYXANDER: Take heading two-zero-zero. Move, Rapier! <12 seconds of over-threshold noise>
GORLIN: <laughter>
AURANIS: What is it, Gorlin?
GORLIN: <laughter> That was not called in on us!
ALYXANDER: <unintelligible; laugher?> The Emperor smiles on us.
AURANIS: We should move to exfiltration.
ALYXANDER: Agreed, brother.
+3 days, 01:30
+MANUAL ENTRY+
Suspected Ork warlord terminated by Validus and Auranis.
Squabbling and infighting immediately occured upon the Ork horde.
Kill Team Rapier was set upon by an Ork mob, but was dealt with by their own artillery assets.
Returning to Blackstar at Marker Terminus.+3 days, 09:11
+MANUAL ENTRY+
Extraction by Blackstar at Marker Terminus.
+APPENDIX I+
Cartograph of sighted Ork encampments and estimates of force strength, as well as Kill-Team Rapier's path thro
++++INLOAD ENDS++++
+++ DEBRIEF +++++++INLOAD BEGINS++++
+++RE: KILL TEAM RAPIER OPERATIONAL REPORT – DAKOTA MINOR 998.924M41+++
++FOR THE EYES OF KILL TEAM RAPIER ONLY++Rapier, well done. I applaud your initiative.
Leave the rest of them to the DMDC. Let them have their battle.
Return to the Scepter. I have another assignment for you.
Inquisitor Malethann, Ordo Xenos
++++INLOAD ENDS++++
+++ END ARTICLE +++ - 13
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Rogal Dorn #2
Dorn #2 of 3. Getting a little bit done. Here's the squad. I've not quite worked out the regiment organization. I'm using 13 for division(?) markings. Vehicle numbers are consecutive, so this is 1st platoon, tank 2 & 3. (stowage - value gear details on Ebay, some left-overs from 1/35 models; Tarp - VMS modelling paper & solution, Ammo belt - Armorcast white metal, Meltas - tiny panzer on Etsy, tank commanders - forgeworld, and a very old pewter commander pre-dating krieg (finally used him!). Not super thrilled with the tarp. It was my first test. Probably should have done a few experiments. I for straps I used strips of pewter foil, cut from sheets from Green Stuff world. Usually I use this for reigns on my horses.
More Modifications. Brass rod for handles and antennas is great. Had a bit of trouble getting the drilled holes to match up this time though. I built a wooden deck on the back to keep stowage even. I think the spare artillery wheels and gas canister are from Zinge. Tow cables are just from scale models. Scale isn't too much an issue in 40k (if it were, I mean, the turret is essentially an 8" naval gun). Of course, all this stowage doesn't really make sense for engaging in combat operations - the view ports really need to not be obstructed. But, I wanted to make a bit of a story with this model. So the chimeras and trojans are destroyed. Supply lines are strained. This vehicle is doing double duty by getting more gear to the front.
As with the first rogal dorn, i did experiment some more on cast metal texture (tamiya putty + thin cement + old paint brush). Also worked a bit on the weld seams.
Next up - Meditations on Extra Armour. Next up... can we get something close to this sherman tank?? I found some rogal dorn track STL files. I think i can probably do it. Hard part is getting it to look right - going from real life to a model - covering up details might not pay off at all.
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The thing about the 40K canon is that a Galaxy is a big place, and 10,000 years is a long time. Hard to say 'X is true' and have that somehow cover all that and catch every single exception. And, frankly, I'm just in favour of more custom successor chapters, regardless of origin or canon alignment. Making your own thing is the heart and soul of this stupid hobby.
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While I've always tried to strike a balance between cordial, respectful and productive feedback on one end, while also being honest about my opinions and maybe even challenge others' (as that is what I want from others. Within reason, of course), I know I've misstepped a few times over the years. And while I personally miss some of the passionate discussions that used to take place in the Liber, I also think it's good to be reminded from time to time that this site is about helping e -
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