There's very little I find more disheartening in this hobby than getting enthused over a story I've come up with only to find I don't enjoy making the characters I've described. As a result, most of my projects start with models that I want to make and loose ideas that gradually cohere and come into focus, rather than being rigidly pre-planned beforehand.

 

The background that I've been playing with is thus a bit patchy, and explores a couple of spaces that I find interesting about the Salamanders. Here are my notes:

• Post-Isstvan Dropsite Massacre
• The road to hell is paved with good intentions: the force is making some very difficult, arguably dubious, decisions in their search for Vulkan
  • Senior character's opinion is Exitus acta probat; the junior's is more aligned with Vulkan's own teachings and enduring. A clash?
• Searching for a way to revive their Primarch. Recon/scouty – light vehicles.
• Olive drab scheme
• Importance of fire – cultic symbolism: explore the runic incisions in painting.
• Alliance/associations with similarly morally grey forces – Blackshields and Thousand Sons
• Vehicle crew – how can I add some flavoursome differences to standard marines
• Painting-wise: pure oils?
• Gaming: Something I've never done – differentiated from other forces
  • All mounted? Infantry in Rhinos rather than bikes
  • Perfect excuse for lots of flamers – to the exclusion of other weapons?
  • Concept: each squad is a specialised unit of veterans that works mechanically in Kill Team. Understrength units.

Brother Nyoto of the Salamanders – a test model. I'm wrestling with whether to use him as a paint tester, or try to cast the legs and body.