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This kill team will consist of two Deathwatch fire teams. I'm going to limit the number of official Chapters that are represented, however, focusing on more obscure official Chapters and DIY Chapters of my own creation. In all likelihood, I'm going to revert to the original color scheme that we used for the Legio, as seen on this model painted by @Chronophague in 2003: That version of the color scheme featured the black armour, red helmet (you can see it hung on his belt behind the grenades), and red weapons casings that we are familiar with. The left kneepad is white, indicating that this battle-brother belonged to the Light of the Emperor Great Company. At that time, the left shoulder pad field and chest decoration were bone in color. I don't recall exactly why we formally switched the chest decoration to white and the shoulder pad field to red. If you look carefully, you can see that the =][= on the Deathwatch shoulder pad is red. Most of the entries to this contest followed the "bone" theme, though not a few used different colors for the chest decoration and/or left shoulder pad field (typically white, silver, red, or black). A good example of a variant color scheme used in that contest can be seen in the model painted by @disinfect. While the left shoulder pad uses the bone coloring, the chest eagle is painted white; and the model incorporates the black and white checkerboard pattern on the right boot to indicate veteran status. As you can see, we allowed a bit of creativity in color scheme when we first created the Legio; and I think we need to return to that to better support the varying preferences of players. You can see the other images from that contest here (we distinguished between the mod entries and the Frater Domus entries, but all are collected together in that album). So the scheme I'm going to use is: Black armour (duh) Red helmet (duh) with green eyes Red weapons casings (duh) Red left kneepad or decoration upon that left kneepad (for the Blood of the Emperor Great Company) Bone chest decoration Bone left shoulder pad (Legio) field Red =][= on the left shoulder pad (I'm using the Deathwatch pads and the inclusion of the =][= indicates that these Legio members have served with the Inquisition) Silver skull on the left shoulder pad Right shoulder pads (parent Chapters) in a variety of colors, see below Why am I reverting to the "bone" theme? In short, since I'm building this kill team to introduce a group of players who are relatively new to the hobby, I'm not sure if they're familiar with the various Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. So I want them to be able to describe the models based on the color of their parent Chapter badge. By switching to the "bone" theme, I can include Chapters whose shoulder pads are red. Assuming each member of the squad has a different color for their right shoulder pad, I have blue, red, yellow, orange, purple, green, black, white, silver, and gold. And since my freehand painting skills suck, I'm only using sculpted shoulder pads. At this point, I have identified the colors, icons, and parent Chapters of the first fire team (of the first squad), the icon and shoulder pad color of the rest of the first squad, and icon of the entire second squad. Most are DIY Chapters of my own creation, with only one member of an [obscure] official Chapter in each squad. The planned fire team of the first squad consists of: White fist on blue disc, possibly surrounded by a sunburst (Fists of Purity Chapter, DIY) - Sergeant White hawk head on orange (Nova Hawks Chapter, DIY) - Fighter Bronze bull head on purple (Khalkotauri Chapter, DIY*) - Warrior Black griffon on yellow (Emperor's Knights Chapter, DIY*) - Warrior Gunmetal crossed swords on black (Guardians of the Covenant Chapter, GW) - Warrior White Maltese cross on green (Storm Angels Chapter, DIY*) - Heavy Gunner This leaves me with white, red, gold, and silver for the fields of the remaining members (with icons given contrasting colors). It will be important to distinguish these four shoulder pads from the Chapters that I named for each. The rest of the first squad and the entire second squad consist of: skull (this is the Silver Skulls shoulder pad from the Deathwatch kit) talon (the Brazen Claws shoulder pad from the Deathwatch kit) skull and halo (the Novamarines shoulder pad from the Deathwatch kit) gauntlet (this is one of the original metal Iron Hands shoulder pads) wolf/hound head (the Ragnar Blackmane's Great Company shoulder pad from the Deathwatch kit) starburst (this is one of the original metal veteran shoulder pads) skull and crossbones (this is one of the original metal Death Company shoulder pads) dragon head (this is the Salamanders shoulder pad from the Deathwatch kit) raven/bird (this is the Raven Guard shoulder pad from the Deathwatch kit) lambda (this is one of the original metal devastator squad shoulder pads) fist (this is one of the original Imperial Fists shoulder pads) flames (this is one of the original Legion of the Damned shoulder pads) skull on a Maltese cross (this is one of the plastic Black Templars shoulder pads from the old upgrade sprue) freehand! (I figured I should challenge myself with one of these models) I may decide that some of the second squad members are from obscure official Chapters. Options include: Angels of Fire (flames) - yellow/orange on red Angels Redeemed (I'd have to use the Dark Angels shoulder pad from the Deathwatch kit) - white on red Contenders (fist) - red on silver/light grey Crimson Talons (talon) - red on white Dark Brotherhood (skull on Maltese cross) - red skull and white cross on grey Hawk Lords (raven/bird) - yellow on purple Iron Fists (fist) - gold on blue-silver Knights of the Raven (raven/bird) - black on silver Red Wolves (wolf/hound head) - red on black Shadow Wolves (wolf/hound head) - white on black Subjugators (fist) - black on green Imperial Paladins (skull on a Maltese cross) - white skull on yellow cross on blue If I decide to do this, I'll be limited by the self-imposed requirement for different colors on the shoulder pad fields. I could make the freehand shoulder pad an obscure official Chapter, doing something that I might reasonably hope to render such as: Crimson Guard (crossed red axes on yellow/gold) Dark Hunters (white axe on blue) Emperor's Hawks (white wing on red) Masters of Protelus (blue axe on white) Storm Callers (yellow lightning bolt on black) Storm Giants (red lightning bolt on bone) War bearers (crossed black axes on green) Note that I've ruled out Second Founding Chapters such as the so-called "First Founding" Chapters, Black Templars, Brazen Claws, Crimson Fists, Mortifactors, Nemesis, and Silver Skulls, as well as more well-known Chapters such as the Howling Griffons, Novamarines, and Sons of Medusa. I've also ruled out those Chapters known to have participated in the Abyssal Crusade. There are probably other official Chapters I could choose from, but those named above were found in the Insignium Astartes, Successor Chapters (booklet in the limited edition version of the 7th edition Codex: Space Marines), and How to Paint Space Marines books as well as the Index Astartes article about the Chapters that participated in the Third War for Armageddon. My focus is the first six models (colors and Chapters already decided upon), so the rest of the decisions are academic for now. If/when the time comes, however, I'll consult other sources to find the full array of official Chapters. I'm pretty sure that both Sergeants will end up having a blue shoulder pad, both fighters will end up having an orange shoulder pad, both heavy gunners will end up having a green shoulder pad, etc. I'll probably differentiate by having different shades of the colors - so one of the Sergeants will use a dark blue and the other will use a light blue. Since a single Deathwatch fire team composes a full Space Marine kill team, and since each operative type other than Warrior can only be included once in the kill team (remember - I'm using the 2021 version), this means that I'll effectively have two options for each operative type. Since my Fists of Purity Sergeant has a thunder hammer and bolt pistol, the other Sergeant will have a different weapon combination. Likewise, my Storm Angels Heavy Gunner has an Infernus heavy bolter, so the other Heavy Gunner will have one of the other heavy weapon options. Decisions, decisions... And just to manage expectations, don't expect my finished minis to match the quality of painting seen in either of the Legio mini-me's that are shown at the top of this entry. * It has been a while since I created any DIY Chapter articles, so I hope to develop these three Chapters (Emperor's Knights, Khalkatauri, and Storm Angels) to exercise some creativity. I also plan to update and revise the Fists of Purity article, removing the more egregious of my errors and [hopefully] improving the quality of the article. Each of these will be conducted as separate blogs, though I'll cross-link to them in this blog.

Well it is a sad day...my self healing cutting mat is done for...once I buy a new one. All because a Bottle of Extra Thin Super glue cracked in multiple places and glued stuff down. So went to my FLGS that is closing at the end of the month, which will be another blog post in itself, to say goodbye to the owner and pick up some debonder. While purchasing the debonder, one of the employees said Extra Thin Super Glue bottle crack on you? I said yes and he said I am hearing that a lot lately. The Culprit: The Victim: The aftermath: Lost an arbite, an engine for 3d print, a dental pick, brush soap, bases, anti tip triangle, scraping tool (the good og gw one too). It is what it is. So I will be getting a new one soon...after my trip this coming weekend.

So, another update! This time I've been working on one of the units that will be taken from C:SM, a squad of Hellblasters. However, considering that the army will have a more Firstborn feel to them, I decided to make them as a ‘Plasma Support Squad’! I also wanted the squad members to keep the more individual feel of the counts-as Grey Hunter units, so I mixed up the types of plasma weapons, though this is just an aesthetic choice - they're all standard Hellblasters in the list. While I was doing that, I also got the bases done on all of the current batch, ready for undercoating. The theme is cityfight, so they've got bits and pieces of rubble and rubbish. When I was doing this, I realised I'd made an error on the base for the Flesh Wyrd (Wolf Priest). Obviously it should be a 40mm, not 32mm. So I carefully chopped him off and rebased him. That gave me a bit more space, and I remembered that I had a base bit left over from the Fabius Bile kit, which just fit nicely! Lastly, I had one body left from the 5 GHs I bought, and a spare hammer from the GK, so I thought I'd try putting my Hearthguard Champion (WGBL) together. He's armed with a Thunder Hammer with the ‘Braggart's Steel’ Enhancement, otherwise known as a ‘chonking big hammer'! Str 10 (and hopefully Dam 3 after a bit) ftw! Anyway, thanks for looking! C+C always welcome! Next up: copious amounts of black undercoating!

Horus Heresy 3.0 Age of Darkness Saturnine box and books acquired! Added to league officially! XIXTH LEGION- RAVEN GUARD 707th Expeditionary fleet, "OSPREY FLEET" So I was able to get some painting done last night. Seekers not much done Start Ended- Armor was hit with a dry brush of Army Painter Air Black Triad: Matt Black, Raven Black, and Crow hue Same for the Assault Marine Squad Primed matt black and then dry brushed with the colors listed above And then the Praetor was started too Grey Castle was added to start blocking out the white parts Question is should I make the destroyed Contemptor III Legion (like shown on my Remembrancer) or as my regular Opponents @The_Oni_of_Hindsight's IV Legion

The Program/Gestalt-Lord saw. Cryptek-class units bent space and sent probes. Seeking clarity. Seeking knowledge. A outlying planet. War-wracked, hurting. Armies clashed and swirled. Many forces trying to claim something... there. A massive, twisting structure of metal, Aeldari wraithbone, human flesh, and the noctilith blackstone. A gate into the chaotic realm of the Warp. The Program/Gestalt-Lord/C'tan felt. Disgust/bitter fervor/anger Whispers of emotion from the shards of the Star Gods embedded in its structure. Find the nearest Dolmen Gate. Activate a vanguard formation- units Setokh and X'ull. The Veiled Oblivion, as the other races called them. Setokh, former il-Phaeron and warlord, commanding elite warriors such as the Lychguard and Praetorians. X'ull the Tormented, Destroyer-Lord and insane until Severed from his madness; he and his brethren now bare their blades in the service of the Gestalt-Lord. The Program planned. The vanguard walked, misty streamers clinging as they moved from Dolmen Gate to Dolmen Gate. More forces were slowly raised, metal forms assembling and marching forth. A representative of the Gestalt-Lord's will was sent- the C'tan known as Nuun'kasi the Desolate. Tendrils of programing weaved through the Desolate, as shards of crystal moved through the Program. Aeldari it saw, calculated, decided. The Old Ones former children would be useful tools. They did not want the gate open for fear of Chaos. The Program wanted, needed the blackstone for itself. A temporary cease of hostilities towards the ancient foe. No communication, no overtures, but no gauss unmaking fragile Aeldari forms. The younger races would suffer for their hubris. Then, the older. The Veiled Oblivion marched onto a new world. Following the orders of their Gestalt-Lord, the Sarkoni Emperor. The Master Program-C'tan fusion that will burn the galaxy of the taint of the flesh and the violation of the Warp. The Veiled Oblivion marched, and death walked beside them. Hello all! I'm playing another Crusade campaign and will be doing some battle write-ups and lore posts to document it. We will be playing a variation of Pariah Nexus Crusade rules, adding in certain elements from Armageddon to slowly get the campaign members used to that set of rules for a future full Armageddon campaign. So if some things seem off, its because we are house-ruling them. Anyway, I will be playing my Necrons, who are part of the Haunted Legions of Sarkon. If you don't know the Haunted Legions, they are basically what the Necrons were before they got retconned in 5th ed- silent, emotionless killers dedicated to wiping out everything. Due to being in the midst of vast radiation storms, the Sarkoni Necrons had all of their personalities wiped and the Master Program AI is now in charge completely, doing things that only it knows about. In my head-canon, the Master Program of Sarkon has merged with some of the C'tan shards that the empire had, slowly corrupting the AI and turning it into a gestalt being that is neither AI nor C'tan, but something worse for the galaxy, the Sarkoni Emperor and Gestalt-Lord of the Severed. Currently we have seven players, split up into three teams- Destabilizers - Necrons and Aeldari Marauders - Tyranids and GSC Defenders - Sisters of Battle, Ultramarines, and T'au Aside from the Nids/GSC, the Alliances are kinda wonky but make sense as far as their overall motives go. The Destabilizers want to destroy/render the Warp Gate non-functional, either because they fear the Chaos that will come (Aeldari) or they want the gate's materials for themselves (Necrons). The Marauders are looking to destroy everything and render all into biomass, while the Defenders are simply trying to defend the system from attack and want to use the Warp Gate for research (T'au) or to convert to their own use (Imperium), whether or not that is a good idea. Should be a good little campaign and I'm looking forward to using my Necrons in a less competitive setting, without named C'tan or the Silent King, and seeing how they do. Alright, that'll be it for now, thanks for looking!

Well one of the LGS is doing a Slow Grow League for Horus Heresy 3.0 and well I think My XIXth Legion will be getting the call. Here are the details. Horus Heresy 3.0 Slow Grow Campaign The Tarkath Front – War for the Galcoran Reach Duration:: August 2nd 2025 - January 31st 2026 Starting Points: 500 pts Monthly Growth: +500 pts per month (up to 3,000 pts by January) Entry Fee: $30 (free if you purchased the Saturnine box) ⸻ The fires of Istvaan spread unchecked, and now the Galcoran Reach burns. Word of Horus’ betrayal has reached this distant sector in the galactic north, now caught behind the Warmaster’s inexorable advance toward Terra. Ill-prepared for rebellion, the Reach erupts into chaos as warlords, forge-priests, and rogue commanders gather their strength in the Tarkath Sub-Sector, the industrial heart of the region and its last hope for resistance or domination. Campaign Structure Players are divided into two factions: Loyalists Traitors Teams must remain balanced, so please let us know if you’re flexible on which side you’d like to play. Each month represents a new battlefront in the Tarkath Sub-Sector of the Galcoran Reach, with: A unique star system A custom mission Special campaign rules Pairings and mission packets are released on the first weekend of each month. Lists are updated monthly; new 500pt increments must be submitted by the end of the first weekend each month. List Writing Restrictions No Characters with the Unique Special Rules Your first 500pt list MUST contain a High Command Unit ⸻ How to Score Points Each month you can earn up to 3 points for your team: Fully paint this month’s 500pts Win your monthly game Add to your army’s story with a short passage of written lore Lore passages should be 1–3 paragraphs describing your battle, your commander, or your force’s actions that week. All points contribute to your team’s total to determine control of the current system at the end of the month. ⸻ Monthly Outcomes and Finale The faction with the most points at the end of each month wins control of that system. Victorious factions gain a small strategic bonus for future games. The campaign will culminate in a massive Apocalypse-scale battle to decide the fate of the Tarkath Sub-Sector. ⸻ T-Shirt and Campaign Materials Entry fee goes toward a custom campaign T-shirt. Please send your preferred shirt size to =]Redacted by Order of the Holy Inquisition[= on Discord. So I am working on a 500 pt list and well it is going. One of the issues is The High Command Model, and that it stays in the list. WIP Praetor He's 170 pts...Corvid Jump Pack and a pair of Ravens Talons. Which means I need an Assault squad and a Dark Fury Squad (too many points for 1st month)

Hi Folks, Today’s blog entry is a little bit specific as it deals with something different from my usual inputs: instead of reporting hobbying progress, I will talk about a trail I did for a new technique (à la TITH – i.e. something that is not new in general but new for me). The technique is often reported on purpose of adding details and create battle damages or war-torn marks on miniatures. But beyond painting damages, the sponge might be used on purpose of painting larger panels with hues or doing some camo schemes. This is for that very last type of application that I’ve tried to (and still try to use) use sponge painting. The root cause is this scheme: I do not play Alaitoc in my Aeldarii but Saim Hann. Yet I found that the spot painted camo idea is could be appealing for being used on Shroudrunners’ jetbikes canopies. It is expected of course that the impact in term of size of the colored domains will be smaller than on the above shown model for Alaitoc. The painting was done according to the following recipe: - Mephiston Red base glazed with Fleshtearer Contrast - A series of sponging alternating colours: Eshin grey, a brighter red, black. The application has been done so that it is voluntary uneven, favouring some areas instead of others so that it might define color domains or waves effects. Or at least is is what I pretended initially. Result is rather self-talkative enough: a messy effect that is not as clean as what the initial idea was eventually inducing. Yet the messy effect obtained gives a good camo-like effect, as long as a camo can be defined on a red basis on a alien world covered by snow (see my usual Aeldari basing)… Second test was on my Rangers’ cloaks. The challenge here was that the areas to be sponged is smaller. Anyway, the main purpose is also camo. Yet I tried a different recipe here: - Baneblade brown base - Dry brushed with refractive green (Vallejo) - A single sponging with Baneblade brown to erase a little bit the over brushing effects. - Next step (to be finalized) is the shading of specific areas of the model such as belt and folds The result is rather OK but has an indirect impact that should be taken into consideration: this step of cloak painting is the first one and the rest of the model has to be painted latter on. So beware of precision and splashing! Indeed, any stain on the cloak becomes more complex to cover and correct. The general aspect is rather OK in the end. The same comments about colors selection vs. basing can be issued, but the global outlook gives a better aspect than the sponging on the canopies. I consider it therefore OK for the Rangers, and by extension for the Shroudrunners’ bike riders. As far as the bikes are concerned, I will keep then like they are now: even if I am not that convinced, I will leave then like that, using the excuse of a holographic camo being projected around the bike, and so what you see is NOT what you get. And my red bikes on white background will remain furtive enough… after all aren’t ALL my Asuryanii models bright colored on white background??? So for me the final rating on these 2 tests is a 50/50. I found the sponging being OK for weathering and corrections on the cloaks, but it lacked the granularity that I expected initially for the vehicles. Which was something I could have anticipated but did not think about before starting… See you latter once the models will be completed in CtA25…

Hit the throttle on the Wreckas last week. I've been painting pretty slowly this year all things considered, decided to change that with this project. Finished up free-hand on a few items, got the squigs painted up, did the bases and oil washes last week resulting in a final project I'm pretty happy with! I dug out some of the leftover terrain bits I had from the sector imperialis/Chalnath terrain. I put a fine terrain paste around those bits and then put in some sand to act as larger rocks/rubble. I was moving pretty quickly with these and might have done things differently in retrospect, but I'm happy enough with the final result. Oil wash on the armor knocked down some brightness and added a ton of depth. If I was going to spend more time on it I would have done a few other washes on various parts, to build up the volume in the skin and leather, but the clock was ticking and I'm happy with the final look I'm happy to have a new team to play regularly, and these boyz are a fun one. I broke my normal "rule" about only painting finished models and brought them to my weekly KT night while they were still a WiP. Unlike my last team (ratlings) this one is WAYYYY more my style to play. They have a ton of problems at the top-competitive level, but they get to roll tons of dice and blasting rockets left and right before charging in to knock some heads feels perfectly orky.

Hi Folks, In my Blogs' last installement I was wondering what could be a second pledge within the spectrum of options available in my backlog: https://bolterandchainsword.com/blogs/entry/1137-cta25-1st-vow-completed/?do=getNewComment In the end I found that it could eventually be… both things at the same time. While maximizing points in the Xenos Stronghold and giving priority to the Crafworlders I might be able harvesting some points while painting relatively simple schemes in a potentially limited amount of time (i.e. before end of August – after that I will have to go back to a kind of “intensive summer school” to register for a new professional qualification required as a must have for my current position… So bye bye Hobby time until certification being issued, except last minute small stuff and/or brain relaxation time). So my second pledge will be: - 5 Wraithguards and their Spiritseer – 5 + 5 points - 1 Converted Wayleaper Autarch – 5 points and Master of the Forge entry - 2 Warwalkers – 6 points - 5 Rangers and their token – 6 points - 5 Warspiders and their token – 6 points - 3 Shroudrunners – 6 points Grand total: 39 points (8 units) I will be in batch painting mode probably. To fit to the schedule, I should issue 2 units a week. Hum… See you once some progress will be worth being reported.

So am I back from Indiana. I have to head back to move In-Laws into a Retirement Center, in a few weeks. And of course everything goes sideways at work moment I get back. So hobby time has been non existence. Silver Lining is LGS not get Saturnine until Monday, so I can get everything I need to do first i.e. my XIXth Legion and Exorcists Call to Arms Vows, that I have not started. And won't have time this weekend. I did start on building one of My XIVth Legion Commanders, not sure what command model he will represent.... cape and head are separate for ease of painting. Still more clean up, pinning, and getting his 40mm base ready

It's definitely been a while since I've posted to the blog, looks like about six months since my last one. In that time my hobby time has been fairly limited until recently, when in an effort to get things back on track I signed up to this years Call to arms to motivate me to get the Aeldari that have been sitting on my desk for ages painted and battle ready. As with my Tau last year I gave myself a sizable challenge, with over 50 models to paint. We now have only a few weeks left and I'm a bit behind schedule, in last years challenge I was all but done with my Tau at this point, so I need to concentrate over the next few weekends. I a bored moment at work I created a spreadsheet to track my progress: As you can see I'm currently over 50% in terms of points worth, but only at a third in terms of actual models. Here's the ones I have completed so far: In the midst of this painting frenzy I even managed a game of 40k against my old friend and long term opponent, pitting my Tau against his tank heavy Astra Millitarium. Fortunately for me the table set up and the deployment for the battle strongly favoured me with his baneblade barely able to move and my numerous Infiltration units meaning he was effectively surrounded before the battle had even begun. This along with some decent dice rolls on my part for once meant the battle was relatively short lived with my opponent conceding after turn 2 when his baneblade died to my rail guns in spectacular fashion taking 3 other units of his with it. Realising how rusty we both were a second game was organised, which I decided would be an ideal outing for my Imperial knights and so the painting of the Aeldari got put on the back burner whilst Painted up Canis Rex and an Armiger Moirax in preperation. Unfortunately the second game did not happen due to a confusion on dates, but will hopefully materialise soon. As always there have been miniatures for my other armies painted along the way, I had two squads of Eradicators I had finished before starting on the Eldar and managed to pick up Captain Centos along with an Execrator (to be used as a normal chaplain) from my nearest GW store, both of which I felt compelled to paint immediately. This dark Apostle also manged to jump the painting queue. Hopefully my next update will be fairly soon showing my complete Call to Arms vow...... possibly.

So the subject of this first blog post is gonna be rather innocuous, I've had kitbash fellblade with custom bits from blood and Skulls industry for a few years now. I had used the original sponson with a set of twin linked lascannons from Blood and Skulls more or less jammed in to count as the Quad linked lascannons. But not so long ago (or at least it felt that way, it's been a year at least!) I decided to retrofit the sponson with something that looked a bit more space marine. I like the way they look, but the back of them is rather plain as I had plans on kitbashing in some lascannon batteries from a storm talon. While I did find the bits, I also found out that they wouldn't work due to size and shape concerns. That's why today I decided it was time to 3d model some up. It started with a drawing, most people would use a proper CAD program of some kind, I've got access to plotter software. So step one is a 2d layout. A couple steps on conversion later, I turned it into an SVG, then imported into Blender. and from blender finally into Photon Workshop So you might see there's a minor aspect difference between the two 3d files, it's because I didn't actually measure the space for the ammo mount at first (I know, I know, measure twice cut once) but as this was a kinda slipshod afternoon faff about, I'm not too worried because it turned out that with a tiny bit of Y axis crunching I can now fit two plates per ammo mount, which kinda makes sense for a quad lascannon. It'll still be a bit before I can get around to printing, painting and glueing them up, since my print room is off limits right now due to kitten shenanigans, but hey, at least I got my next blog post planned out!

During a busy week of getting my kids back into school I found time to get started on the "fun" part of this style, lining or inking. Once I got most of the base colors in and did come chunky highlights (I used one of the AK paint pens for the green highlights. They're fine. The paint applied is great but the nylon brush is...eh. They'd be great for painting stuff at a con or something) I got to start in on the lining. I used a micron 02 size pen, I have a 08 and a 005 as well, but the 005 was a bit too fine and didnt apply easily on the model in most areas, and the 08 was way too big for what I was trying for. More or less edge-highlights with the pen, and occasionally throwing in hatches/scratches/etc. The first couple of models I went through felt a bit rough as I tried to get the style dialed in, but after that its pretty smooth sailing. Once nice thing is that its just taking a pen to a model I could bring some of them to work and line them out during some breaks at my desk, meant that I got them all finished in a couple of days. After I got them all lined in I went back through and finished blocking in the bases while touching up or catching things I'd missed on the rest of the model. I couldn't decide on what color to go with for their power crystals, but after a bit of hemming and hawing I went with a magenta, it pops pretty well on the models and I'm happy with it (I was tempted by the green...but that's just too much green...) One of the last steps was getting the bases worked up. I had debated making magenta crystals to tie in with my pathfinder team and match their weapons crystals...but in the end I like their tactical rocks well enough and since their legs are a NIGHTMARE to work with I opted for the easier option and kept them as is. I got a layer of terrain paste on the bases and will use my grass applicator to apply some patches as a final pass. Project is moving smoothly, my goal is to have them finished up by this Wednesday to debut them at my FLGS weekly KT night. Should also leave me with just enough time left in CtA2025 for me to contemplate a foolish vow that will do nothing but stress me out a ton. Who knows!

Hi Folks, After a forced break into my paint job (temperatures raised too much for one week and paint was drying so fast on the brushes that it was just impossible to make anything decent (and/or with an aspect that wasn’t the one of a crusted pie…). I therefore stopped for a while, waiting for more decent temperatures. It has been a little bit of a challenge to overcome the frustration as the work to be done was limited to final touches on a single miniature, my Wayleaper Autarch. The former has been converted from various parts and bitz as you may remember (as you can see there too [How to save an half sliced Banshee - Pointy and Spiky - The Bolter and Chainsword]): - The metal body of the Banshee Exarch (first one ever issuer) - Bitz from the latest guardian plastic box for Chainsword and Fusion gun (the gun is a little bit more complex than that as it is made of small cut parts inc hips held Shuriken catapult) - Jump generator from the Corsair sprue. This last bit is a little bit of a regret as I realized lately that I also have a spare Warp Generator from my Spiders kit. Yet, due to slightly smaller scale of the Exarch body, using it would have looked like unfitting. Between a risk of dumb looking oversized back-pack and a too small one, the last option is probably the less unadapted… The scheme has been the fruit of a long, long, long hesitation. I wanted something closer of the Saim-Hann livery than my previous black/inverted color schemes for my converted Autarch on foot (based on old Drazhar) and my kit bashed autarch on jetbike. I realize all are converted or kit bashed. I put the red without thinking it too much, as well as the black jump generator. It is only then that I felt it was needed thinking it again. I finally decided that getting close of the illustration used on the image for the Aeldarii faction in CtA would have been the way to go. Yet too late. I am not going to get rid of the paint and restart. No way. Not today. So, I have instead went for a focal point on the banshee mask by going toward a more classical bonish face plate and a greyish crest. Not black to be able to have a distinction with the back back… I have chosen the economy of energy; also known as laziness sometimes. Result is a miniature that fits into the panorama and the overall picture of the Aeldarii force of mine, without ostentation and without spark. Homogeneity is a way to say it too. And here it is, completed: Plus the Shroudrunners once glued together: It comes along the rest of the Aeldarii models pledged for this second vow: Which means it is a completed pledge. Now what am I going to do? I have enough models in the pile of shame to fill more Xenos pledges. Or try out some vows in other factions. But I should limit myself to smaller amounts of models (a hero or two for example, or a single squad): indeed time left looks like it is possible to do more my personal and professional schedule does not say the same thing… On the other hand, a small paint job is also a good way to disconnect. (Who am I trying to convince?) Let’s see which road I take.

+++INTRODUCTION+++ The Crusade of Spite was a retroactively declared Black Templars crusade spanning the years 912 to 927M41. It began as an one-hundred-and-fifty Astartes strong force that by ill-fate became stranded in the Matteus Subsector. Under the leadership of Marshal Tornelius Farro, the crusade included many engagements across the subsector, and all were effortlessly resolved by their intervention. Though the Black Templars were greatly dissatisfied with these mundane conflicts, the emergence of a greater threat would restore their exuberance. Entrenched Black Templars engage greenskins on Black Jewel (917M41) +++A TURBULENT ARRIVAL+++ The Black Templars fleet comprised the Strike Cruisers Emperor’s Chosen and Faith and Fire, as well as five escort frigates. Spread between the two cruisers were fighting companies Holy Hammer and Sacred Shield. The fleet had departed the Redstone System (on the rim-ward side of the Eye of Terror) for the long trek to the Eastern Fringe. Unfortunately, their fleet was caught in a warp storm en route, forcing them back to realspace. It was fortuitous for the Space Marines that they re-emerged within Imperial borders, just outside the Matteus Epsilon System. The local Imperial facilities provided assistance to the ravaged starships, where the extent of the damage was elucidated. Two frigates were destroyed, the Faith and Fire’s Navigator was killed, and all Astropaths were lost to the madness of the Immaterium. At least a decade of repairs and replacement psykers were required until the fleet could continue its journey. Without the chapter-sanctioned Astropaths, Marshal Farro had no means of communication with the High Marshal. For now, they were stranded in the Matteus Subsector. +++SIXTEEN YEARS OF SPITE+++ Duty is not always glorious, rarely so in fact. Measure your deeds not by its glory, but by your service to Him. - Chaplain Aurigorus, during a sermon to Black Templars prior to the Second Quell of Asoka. Despite the damage to their ships, the Black Templars fighting companies suffered no losses. To maintain the vigour of his battle-brothers, Marshal Farro offered the services of his knights to the local Imperial worlds, many of which were dealing with persistent xeno and heretical incursions. With the bulk of the fleet moored in the Matteus Epsilon system, the Emperor’s Chosen alone would translate to the other star systems to render assistance to the Imperial settlements. Holy Hammer and Sacred Shield redistributed their forces as needed between them to intervene in the myriad conflicts in the Subsector. A Whirlwind battery prepares to bombard rebel positions on Asoka (920M41) As no crusade was officially declared by their High Marshal, no battle-brother was bestowed the mantle of Emperor’s Champion. +++THE ARENAS OF CONFLICT+++ There were several arenas of battle for the Black Templars during their tenure in the Matteus Subsector. The five major arenas are detailed below: The Heresy on Dakota Minor (913M41) An unchecked heretic cult results in several companies of DMDC turning from the Imperium. Lord-Governor Hastings Freeman requests the Space Marines obliterate them, to avoid further defections and to maintain his authority. The Denial in Sartoria’s orbit (916M41) The Emperor’s Chosen joined with the Matteus Battlegroup to intercept a Steel Reaver fleet inbound for Sartoria. Thanks to the tenacity and expertise of the Black Templars, the Steel Reavers were denied their invasion pan and forced to retreat. Land Speeder Squadron "Storm of Piety" outflanks the Ork horde on Black Jewel (917M41) The Cleanse on Black Jewel (917-918M41) A persistent Ork infestation had again exploded to unmanageable levels. With the Asokan Rifles stretched thin, the Templars lay waste to the xeno holdouts via a combination of orbital bombardment and skimmer raids. The Quells on Asoka (914M41, 920M41) The various agri-worker guilds on Asoka conglomerated and sparked an continent-wide uprising. Lord-Governess Yvonne Lawson twice petitioned the black knights to eradicate the agri-worker holdouts, to which they obliged with great zeal. The Purge on MagaII (924-925M41) A warband of Orks had taken root in the cavernous world of Matteus Gamma II (“Magall”), despite the thin atmosphere. It would take sixteen months for the Black Templars to fully purge the vast network of greenskins. Assault Squad "Pious Decimators" outflank an Ork armour column on Magall (925M41) +++AFTERMATH+++ ”Exterminate the xenos filth, then return to us. The crusade of spite is over, brother. Lead the Barbed Gate Crusade to glory.” - High Marshal Kordhel’s astropathic message to Marshal Farro (927M41) The sixteen-year ordeal was grating for Marshal Farro, who was eager to move on from the system and its minor invasions, insurrections and infestations. He longed for a true challenge and triumph over the enemies of Man, as well as the long overdue reunion with the chapter. The Marshal’s prayers would be answered in 927M41: the invasion of Barbed Gate by Splinter Fleet Zahhak, coinciding with the arrival of sanctioned Astropaths for his fleet. Farro communed with the High Marshal Kordhel, whom decreed the start of a new crusade against the Tyranid menace. A decree taken by the Marshal Farro and his battle-brothers with renewed faith and enthusiasm. Marshal Farro, charging alongside his battle-brothers on Barbed Gate (927M41) +++END ARTICLE+++

Initial Crusade Force (Per our campaign rules, we start at 1000pts, 5 RP, and 3 units can have 6 XP to be Bloodied w/1 upgrade) il-Phaeron Setokh - Overlord (Voidscythe and Res Orb) - Lead from the Front trait (gives unit Infiltrate), will be with Lychguard X'ull the Tormented - Skorpekh Lord - Godpyre Mantle relic (unit gains Stealth) The Watching - Deathmarks x5 The Unbowed - Lychguard x10 (Sword/Shield) - Battle-Scarred Resistance trait (gain 6+ FNP trait) Deadly Stride - Skorpekh Destroyers x6 The Whisperers - Triarch Praetorians x5 (Rod of Covenant) Harrekh-I - Lokhust Heavy Destroyers (Gauss) Harrekh-II - Lokhust Heavy Destroyers (Gauss) Shadow Runners - Tomb Blades x3 (Twin gauss) Ma'ar the Mourned - Triarch Stalker (Heavy Gauss) Phase 1 - Game 1 (Apologies for no pics, out of practice and will correct that going forward...hopefully) Veiled Oblivion versus the T'au Mission - Outflank Agendas - Immortal Servitude, Recover Blackstone Data Necrons win the battle, 65-40 (Necrons were Attacker, went 1st). 3 Blackstone fragments from Recover Blackstone Data. 1 Awakening point from Reanimation Systems unlocked via Immortal Servitude Agenda. Rapid Reanimation bonus chosen- Once per battle round, re-roll the Reanimation roll for one unit. No unit suffers Battle Scars. Spend 2 RP for Increase Supply Limit to 1400. Add Transcendent C'tan shard (Nuun'kasi the Desolate) and Triarch Stalker (Iltep Timeworn) for 405 points. Now at 1385 Units upgraded The Shadow Runner Tomb Blades gains - Hypergrav Field Manipulation (+2 to Movement) Deadly Stride Skorpekh Destroyers (Marked for Greatness) gains Warp Hunters (re-roll to Wound rolls of 1 if closest target, if Unbound Adversaries re-roll to Wound roll instead) Overall- Victory - Veiled Oblivion Blackstone Fragments - +3 (total = 3) RP - gain 1, use 2 for Increase Supply Limit. Total is 4 Supply limit - 1400 (using 1385) Crusade points - Goes from 3 to 5 Game Overview Again, sorry about the lack of pics, which will make this battle report more general than specific. The Tau forces (Experimental Weapons Cadre detachment) were comprised of a Breacher squad w/Fireblade, 1 Sunforge Crisis squad w/Coldstar Commander, 1 Fireknife Crisis squad w/Enforcer Commander, Pathfinder squad, Stealth Squad, a single Broadside, and a squad of Kroot Rampagers. Outflank is a weird Pariah Nexus mission with two possible deployment maps, I won Advantage (and Attacker) and selected the cornered setup as I figured it would allow me better chances to pull off Recover Data. I infiltrated my Lychguard onto the No Man's Land objective to the left, while my opponent set up his Stealth suits on the objective to the left. All the rest of my forces were pretty much behind some sort of cover towards the center of my deployment and aimed at the middle, as were his. I got the first turn, so was primed for a fast assault. Scout moves happened and my Tomb Blades moved towards the center objective while the Triarch Stalker went for the right objective and the Scout suits there. The center of my army, Skorpekhs/Heavy Destroyers/Tomb Blades, moved onto the center objective to hold it while the Lychguard squad attempted to Recover Data. The Stalker killed off the Stealth suits in a single volley, while the Heavy Destroyers put a single shot into the Broadside suit. On the Tau turn the Fireknife Crisis suits/Broadside wiped out the Stalker. Round 2 had the Necrons still in the center, though the Lychguard had moved off of the left objective to head towards the center: scoring was simply hold 1 and then hold more for 5 VP each (end of battle whomever holds center gets 20VP) and with the Tau not really moving towards the left objective I wanted my most durable unit to be on the center. Kroot Rampagers and Sunforge Crisis suits split shots into the Lychguard and Skorpekh, taking down two Skorpekh and four and a half Lychguard in a combination of shooting/melee from the Rampagers. In what turned out to be a decisive move, Setokh used his Res Orb and restored a full 6 Wounds and then another 3 Wound from normal Reanimation Protocols, completely negating all damage done. Round 3 had the Skorpekh charging in and destroying the Rampagers, the Deathmarks managing to snipe the Commander with the Fireknife squad, the Heavy Destroyers blasting apart the Broadside, and the Triarch Praetorians coming down behind the enemy's rear objective being held by Breachers. Return fire killed off the Deathmarks and did some damage to each Heavy Destroyer and the Skorpekh, but the end was clear. Skorpekh managed to wipe out the Sunforge suits and eventually the Breachers in combination with the Praetorians, while the Tomb Blades on the center objective managed to Recover twice. It was an interesting mission, and would have been much closer if the scoring didn't have the 20VP bonus at the end. My only previous Crusade experience was with Nachmund, where if you get a certain number of VP the game ends that round, where in Pariah it is much more balanced it seems. For the most part it was a good game and one that worked well with my aggressive melee plans. I'll work on getting some lore for the Veiled Oblivion up, and pictures for the next battle report. Thanks for looking!

Phase 1 - Game 2 Veiled Oblivion versus the Ultramarines Mission - Gheists in the Static. Agendas - Immortal Servitude, To the Last Necrons win the battle, 65-55 (Necrons were Attacker, went 1st). 3 Blackstone fragments gained from To the Last Agenda, 3 gained from Victory. 1 Awakening point from Reanimation Systems unlocked via Immortal Servitude Agenda. Resurrection Flux bonus chosen- if unit is at Half Strength, add 1 to Reanimation rolls. Deadly Stride Skorpekh Destroyers suffers Battle Scar - Battle-Weary (-1 to Battle-Shock, Ld, Desperate Escape, or Out of Action tests). 2 RP used for Increase Supply Limit. Units added: Hexmark Destroyer (Sehk-I-Ah), Plasmancer (Am-Heh of the Unbound Thought), 10-man Immortal squad (Bringers of Lightning), Triarch Praetorians (The Soundless). 1765 points used of 1800 Units upgraded The Whisperers Triarch Praetorians (Marked for Greatness) gains - Raiders (Reroll to Hit rolls of 1 versus targets on an objective) Overall- Victory - Veiled Oblivion Blackstone Fragments - +6 (total = 9) RP - Gain 2 (1 normal, 1 from Victory). Use 2 for Increase Supply Limit. Total is 4. Supply limit - 1800 (using 1765) Crusade points - Stays at 5 (+1 from Praetorians, -1 from Skorpekh) Game Overview Round 1 Necrons turn 1 - Aggressive deployment; Sorpekh Lord/squad were able to Infiltrate due to gaining Advantage, so they pushed up hard on the right side and killed off an Intercessor squad in melee. Heavy Destroyers managed to kill off the servo-turret and the Triarch Stalker put a couple of wounds into the Redemptor and then charged it to no effect. Ultramarines turn 1 - SM push up with the second Intercessor squad on the left, covering their two remaining Eliminators and putting down a half-squad of Lychguard. Redemptor and Infernus squad take down a few Skorpekh. The Redemptor does a few wounds to the Stalker, but melee is largely a wash between the two war machines. Round 2 Necrons turn 2 - Skorpekh move up and delete the Infernus squad, while the Lychguard Reanimate and use their Res Orb to come back to nearly full life. Heavy Destroyers miss their attempt to kill off the Redemptor, but melee combat with the Stalker for the third round again is inconclusive. Ultramarines turn 2 - Titus and his Assault Intercessors in the middle of the Ultra deployment charge and kill off the Stalker. Shots from the Redemptor kill more Skorpekh, leaving the Lord alone. Round 3 Necrons turn 3 - Triarch Praetorians come down in the center of the battlefield, along with the Skorpekh Lord they charge and kill off Titus and the Assault Intercessors. Ultramarines turn 3 - Last gasp from the Ultras to try to kill off the Lychguard, while also doing their Agenda action (Recover Blackstone Data). Round 4/5 Remaining rounds consist of Necrons holding their positions while trying to keep the Skorpekh Lord, Overlord, and Deathmarks hidden (To the Last targets). Skorpekh Lord manages to sneak by with 1 Wound left. Ultras manage to Recover twice total. Thoughts The mission definitely favored me, as I was able to get both Advantage (one infantry unit gets Infiltrate but can't be on an objective) and Attacker. Since my army is heavily melee based, getting my Skorpekh in position for a turn 1 charge was devastating. They were able to roll up the right flank of the enemy and completely collapse that side. My Lychguard again showed how tough they were, surviving a ton of shots from double-tapping Intercessors and just holding on to the center of the battlefield. We move up to 1250 points next week and I'm up against Aeldari. While having the Transcendent C'tan in the army might be good, I'm planning on holding off until 1.5k and taking a second unit of both the Triarch units (Stalker/Praetorians) to give me a lot of board presence. We'll see how it goes!

Warleader Fingil Bloodfist was one of the most infamous and feared commanders that the 4th Household ever had. After he proclaimed himself Chapter Master of the Marines Adamant, his fellow Warleaders revolted, turning their weapons against him in a brutal assassination attempt. Though Fingil lost his grip on the position of Warlord, his bloody-minded stubbornness kept him clinging to life. Unbeknownst to the rest of the Chapter, the Iron and Flesh Wyrds of the 4th Household had his remains interred within the sarcophagus of a mighty Leviathan Dreadnought. In the millennia since, Bloodfist has continued to act as an advisor to his successors, and as an unbreakable and immovable bulwark at the centre of the Household's battle line. So, as you might guess, Fingil Bloodfist (mentioned in the Marines Adamant IA in the Articles section) is my counts-as Bjorn the Fell-Handed. Obviously, a Leviathan is substantially bigger than a Castraferrum, but I definitely thought he deserved an upgrade! (and I'm not likely to be playing in any tournaments any time soon, so that's not an issue) However, I thought I'd try to give him a more action-y pose, with the added advantage that it keeps the model lower to the ground and thereby slightly closer to the outline of the official Bjorn. I wanted to do twin claws, as I'd always imagined Fingil as being in some sort of Ironclad-pattern dread, but of course Bjorn has a big gun as well as a claw. Hence the shoulder mounted cannon, which is a spare from the Contemptor I got for another project a few years ago, plus a few random bits to make the mount. I'm using Volkite as counts-as Helfrost in this army, ice guns don't make sense if you're not from Fenris! Then two claws = Trueclaw, and the heavy flamer is body mounted rather than on the arm. The barrels of the built-in arm meltas will be filled in. Voila, a weapons loadout that should be close enough to Bjorn's! In other related news, it's my wedding anniversary this weekend, and look at the score I got in pressies from my beautiful, kind and patient missus! The Marines Adamant armoured contingent is growing nicely! Anyway, as always thanks for looking, and anyone who wants to add a comment, please do! (I’m using a Blog rather than a Forum thread, but that's just because it's the way things seem to be going, not because I don't want to hear what people think!)

Long story short, I'm preparing to play a game of the 2021 edition of Kill Team with three players who have never played any edition of Kill Team. We're going to adapt the Joint Ops rules from the current edition of Kill Team, sort of. The Joint Ops rules allow each player to take half of their normal kill team. This works fine with most of the factions since they use two fire teams - each such player would only use one fire team. Each of the Space Marine kill teams, however, consists of a single fire team, and most such Space Marine fire teams consist of roughly the same number of models as most of the other factions' fire teams. Two of the other players will be taking factions whose kill teams consist of two fire teams. One of the players, however, will be taking an Intercessor fire team. While I had bits collected to create a Grey Knights kill team during the 2021 edition, I didn't want to complicate things with psyker powers. Since this is an introductory game and not one that will be played with the intent to "win," I figured I would take a Deathwatch fire team and then the Intercessor player and I would be on opposing sides, with the other players (Adepta Sororitas and Necrons) siding with either my Deathwatch or the other player's Intercessors. This will give each player 5 or so models to control* and each side will be relatively even. * We're limiting things to the Core Book and the Compendium, ignoring the balance dataslates that gave most of the Adeptus Astartes fire teams an additional model. So I'll be fielding "Deathwatch" (they'll be painted as the Legio, but will follow the Deathwatch fire team rules). A Legio battle-brother from the Griffon Lords Chapter I figured I'd capitalize on the Deathwatchness of the fire team - focusing on weapons that distinguish the Deathwatch from the other Space Marine fire teams, not to mention the other factions of the Imperium. Here's the kill team I'm currently planning to take: Deathwatch Veteran Watch Sergeant with bolt pistol and thunder hammer Deathwatch Veteran (Fighter) with grav-pistol and power maul Deathwatch Veteran (Warrior) with Deathwatch shotgun Deathwatch Veteran (Warrior) with Deathwatch shotgun Deathwatch Veteran (Heavy Gunner) with Infernus heavy bolter And just in case we use the balance dataslate and I get the additional model: Deathwatch Veteran (Warrior) with storm bolter I just realized as I'm typing this that Scouts can take shotguns, so perhaps I need to swap those out for Deathwatch boltguns or Stalker pattern boltguns. If I do that, I'm more likely to take the Stalker pattern boltguns since the Deathwatch boltguns come with power weapons. What I don't want to do is look like I've shown up with the intent to curb-stomp these players. The goal is to introduce them to Kill Team and, maybe, get them interested in picking the game up themselves (I'll have to be very clear that we're playing the previous edition and that the current edition is slightly different). If my own guys get shellacked, that's okay. For anyone with experience playing the 2021 edition of Kill Team, does my planned list look like it's not optimized? While I've assembled the bits, I haven't assembled any models yet and there's still time to change things. (The next blog entry will be about the color schemes and Chapters I've selected.)

With the Wrecka Crew completed its time to move onto what's next, and since Call to Arms is still going on and I've got more kill teams to paint, its time for the Vespids! A few years ago I painted up the tau pathfinder kill team in a comic-book/cell-shaded style. I was very happy with the results and love the way they look...unfortunately I don't particularly enjoy playing them so they rarely hit the table. As the new "season" of kill-team approaches and pathfinders are getting ready to be declassified I wanted a new team with a similar style, and wouldn't you know it I happen to have a Tau Auxiliary unit sitting on my shelf that seems like it would suit the style well. My 7 year old loves all things Pokemon right now, and so the Scyther/SliphCo theme came pretty easily. Tau have so many Pokeball looking icons stamped all over their equipment I'm surprised I haven't seen a deluge of these kinds of themes before. Admittedly I don't look to hard so it may be that I'm walking well tread ground on this one. Green was an airbrush built up in a few passes, off-white was a quick pass to get it blocked in, and since I'm really only using 3 other colors for the rest of the model getting the rest blocked in didn't take too long at all. Tried out a new white...it was terrible. If anyone has a white they'd recommend for use outside of an airbrush please let me know, because my search is still ongoing. After I got them blocked in I hit them with a thick gloss coat, because I decided I wanted to try and use a panel liner to "ink" the recess spaces. Not entirely sure how I feel about this step yet, on one hand I think it makes the recesses pop more, but it also looks sloppy up close, and I'm not sure how much it will clash with my lining work later...we will see I suppose! I've got two models to finish lining, then I'll need to go back and hit my missed spots, get the bases blocked in (was debating using different "tactical rocks" for them, but decided against it recently) and start my "chunky" highlights. Then they'll go live at my office desk for a week or two so I can line them out during breaks/lunch. Trying to move quickly on this one both because of Call to Arms and because I've got a lot of backlog to burn through before Kill-Team: Tombworld drops and fills it back up again

In the beginning... As can be seen I have been into Warhammer 40K for about as long as it is possible to have been, and for me when I think of Adeptus Astartes I first think of my RTB01 kit of 30 marines in very dark blue plastic, that later became known as MKVI Corvus pattern, as well as their Umbra pattern bolters and bolt pistols, chain blades and bayonets, and what latterly became Proteus pattern missile launchers and Phaestos pattern flamers. Eventually Foregworld did some partial MKIV Maximus for the Red Scorpions (as well as their chapter symbol shoulder pads), to go with the 3rd edition plastic MKVII space marines, in the Imperial Armour (IA) book 4, The Anphelion Project, prior to revisiting them in the Badab War, including some resin weapon ugrade packs with those original patterns of special and heavy weapons from RTB01. As well as brass etch...I still have the scars. Then Forgeworld did the two Badab War books (IA 9 and 10), and we started to get the first generation of resin MKII, MKIII, MKIV, MK V and MKVI armour, as well as various patterns of weapons and resin Contemptors, as well as their massive drop pods. Also lots of colour plates, showing pure and mixed marks of armour suits. My interest in kit bashing and mashing parts started at this point. I still have all these things in bags, stacked in boxes, in the garage, along with all the IA books on a bookshelf. Quite a few years ago a gaming mate suggested we did Horus Heresy (as in what would now be v1.0), especially as I had so many things that could be used for that. I agreed, and as he was going with Imperial Fists at the time (in the end he didn't and went with Iron Hands) that left an obvious choice for me: Iron Warriors. That is literally the only reason, simple as that. Everything else since then, from reading all the books, reading the novels, to listening to the same novels as audio books, getting Iron Warrior Forgeworld resin upgrade kits for helms and shoulder pads, the multiple brass etches, the Forgworld transfer sheets, was down to that initial choice (or in a sense the lack of it). So with v3.0 here, and having got it a day early, and having planned as much as possible for the last few months based on leaks, I have been challenged again by the same mate to actually get this done so we can play - he has painted several Horus Heresy armies completely since then and ironically is pondering Iron Warriors himself. Start at the top they say, and thus with my Warhammer World only Iron Warriors Warmsmith in hand, as well as the stock one being converted into a Centurion, and the new plastic Centurion, with literally every Forgeworld resin vehicle and plastic hybrid, and all the new plastics for v2.0 and v3.0 out thus far, it is time to start with the High Command and Command choices of the Crusade Primary Detachment - representing some of the 88th Grand Battalion, who due to their brutality and use of borderline proscribed weaponry and tactics, with many belonging to the Lyssatra, the Brethren of Thunder, are also known by the cognomen: The Hateful Eighty-Eighth Note this won't be a linear and complete chronicle, the intent is more to show what I did at certain points and why, starting with the history of the project but moving forward into where inspiration may have come from, or ideas in the background leading to conversion choices, and the tools and techniques I will have to draw upon to make that happen. But life is more settled now, so I am making time for hobby, so no more stalling. Dominum imperator ac ferrum aeturnum.

... well probably, or at least for a while. Hi Folks, A little big small update on my Drukhari force. Initially designed to be used as Ynnari units only the death of the Aeldarii index (caused by the release of the Codex) led to declassing of many unit options. And left me with as much units that could not be fielded along Crafworlders than units than could. This seeded the idea of compelting the army to a minimum size, big enough to be playable without any kind of objective and purpose than having a good time. So no or almost no META optimization. The last units were painted as entries for CtA25: They completed nicely the other units and brought me to this: 1210 pts of Dark kins (as per MUNITORUM FIELD MANUAL rev 03) and 330 Harlies. A nice small force indeed. And a serious pause now for my wallet. Next step will therefore be a focus on my other minis in the waiting line: Craftworlders, AM and AdMech. See you later

Hi Folks, 6 weeks and 7 units painted. Considering almost 2 weeks hiatus due to family business and some welcomed holidays, it is not that bad. But, wait a minute… 7 Units? Let’s check: - One Archon (kit bashed) - One Raider - Two Venoms - Ten Kabalites (Hand of the Archon) - Ten Witches - One Succubus That’s a confirmed 7 counts. Which also means that my first pledge for CtA25 is now complete! Hooka Hey! Let’s see own it looks with the latest completed units, a.k.a. Witches and Succubus. I am not that pleased with the final quality. I will say it is tabletop OK but within the lower range of my latest paintjob. I would say that I do not paint skin properly and it is quite visible here. The spikiness and complex shapes of the models (specifically the Succubus) neither helped. But I will get satisfied enough with that atm. The rest of the pledged models can be found in these Blog entries: CtA25 - Vow 1 - Week 2 progress report - Pointy and Spiky - The Bolter and Chainsword CtA25 - Vow 1 - 3rd week progress report - Pointy and Spiky - The Bolter and Chainsword Now, what about a second pledge? I have plenty of options such as: - 30 kitbashed GSC into a house made IG regiment - Some 10 Spore mines and a set of 5 GSC hybrids - 10 CSM and a converted CSM captain from an old Dwarf Thann with Ork Rokkits as a jet pack - Enough genuine Corsairs and left over Guardians bodies to kitbash even more Corsairs (up to 30 grand total maybe) - More AdMech weirdoes (2 Ironstriders, some Characters (4), Sulphurhounds, Pteraxii and Sicarans boxes and the KT Servitor clade set) - Crafworlders (Converted Autarch, Rangers and Shroudrunners boxes, 2 Warwalkers, War spiders, a Spiritseer and eventually 2 kitbashed Warlocks and 10 more Guardians) - Half finished Scenery from bits and scratches. - A huge amount of tiny marines and squats from ooP Epic. Too big to be numbered. When I compare the list now and before starting the challenge I can only admit that I bought again too much stuff. My Pile of shame is therefore rebuilding itself slowly but surely as I bought more than I can paint, knowing that I have also a huge backlog in Warhammer the Old World… It is therefore time to make some decisions and select wisely. We will see if thinking it over one of two nights help me making a decision between potential Challenges objectives in terms of completed points in a faction or painting yield by doing more models more easily painted but spread over different strongholds… Let’s talk about it again in a few days.

Part 8, 8 days until game.......BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!!!!!!! Wait that's not right.... So some light painting was done last night which was not expected but I did take advantage. Did a water coat of white (old P3 bottle of white) on all the jumpack thrusters in preparation for the Plasma Glow Effect I did more painting on the Seeker squad. Metallics, red on lenses, krack grenades, green on frag grenades but I also hit areas with gloss coat and applied their decals So later today they will get some touch ups, a matte coat so I can finish them up with their washes, weathering and paint their bases.

Initial models from my re-commitment to the Badab. I am also going to be painting my Saturnine as Astral Claws. Its a shame the two Badab FB groups have both stated they wont be writing rules for 3rd HH. However, Im playing 3rd HH and if I get to understand as much as I would like, then I may even look at whipping up a Liber Badab 'Tactica' for 3rd edition.

Hi folks, I still have available Guardians body that scream out for being used. After tooling up 5 of these into Rangers, it is time to make even more. This time with Voidreaver in the target line. This kitbash is in my mind for a while now and has been the reason for buying a Voidscarred box a while ago. This box by the way still needs to be built up, but this is for a next move. Game wise, the idea is to get one of more scouting units able to move forward the battle line right and/or create interdiction zones for Deep strikers right from the end of the deployment phase. Say that it may helps creating bubbles for eased deployment of deepstriking Ynnari aligned Drukharis. Or push forward and get some back field objectives safer for a longer time. Although there is no guarantee moving ahead the frontline like this really gonna gain me time with fragile troops such as eldars. The kit bash used the Corsairs HtH weapons, and various bitz from Drukharu sets: Scourges special weapons, banner from the venom, heads from Kabalites and Wytches... I added a standard bearer, a kind of tribute to the first RT era minis for Eldars. I know this is already a convertion, but the reference is worth being noted: The Felarch received left bits from the Archon and Incubis - afterall, the Pirates are very often spending time in Dark kins' licors shops and inns...: Next step will be converting more: I guess I can find even more options for the left bodies I still have in stock in my pile of shame (bitz bag): I have 5 full guardians, 2 pairs of lags without torso and some Kabalite and part of Witch crew from a Raider and a Venom (so 6 more Drukhari bodies). Next step will there be either some characters or more Corsairs: with what I've just listed I have enough parts and bodies either for an additional squad of Corsairs or for some Warlocks; but not for both, except if I cast some missing parts (Blue cast attempts I made went regular for torso, but I lack practice). So it requires making decisions. Another kind of decision is about the colour scheme. I guess I will go Sunblitz Brotherhood style. I like this scheme (see bellow, from Harvey Snape on X) but I might go for something eventually brighter: a brighter red for the helm and Gryph-hound Orange for the body. Legs might be done dark as per this inspirational model, maybe applying directly the contrast on a grey base... See you once decisons will have been made. But fore anything else, I also have to build the left KT Corsair kit.

Hi Folks, Within the bitz management policy I've tried to set, one of the directions I was planning to work on was increasing my Saim-Hann with an additional unit of Rangers. In fact I wanted to do some Corsairs' Ghostwalkers. I imagine a good colour scheme would help. Yet I think I will stick to the Saim-Hann red livery. The kit-bash has been based on old ooP Guardian bodies and spare parts from Rangers and Shroudrunners. At the moment, some finishing touches are still needed to fill gaps and cut holes needed to make some adjustments with plastic parts not designed to complete with each other. Yet the current assembly is rather OK at the moment. Let's see: Some closed views on the two lads with their rifles in holsters and their respective scanner and ... I do not know what is supposed to be the smaller disk the Shroudrunner get - a remote or a programmable mines may be? And another close up of the snipers: I still have some bodies available for more kit bashes. But this will be for another time. See you.

“**Warzone Tarkath** * Dravik’s Maw System * Once a dumping ground for dead fleets and rusted war machines, Dravik’s Maw now fuels the Tarkath war fronts with scrap munitions and jury-rigged armor. Its forge-slums and salvage gangs strip anything that still holds a charge, shipping parts to the system’s forges. Battles here aredesperate and dirty—fought over the bones of old wars to arm the next.” August Mission is up: **Week 1 Mission** Table Size: 4x4 Deployment: Dawn of War Mission: The Heart of Battle Running almost completely silently on gravitic Impellers for propulsion, the Kiavahr designed and built Whispercutters are exclusive to the XIXth Legion, allow Assault Squads and Dark Fury Squads to drop from above the targets or drop off elite infiltrating units with its open-topped air-frame. Currently 2 Whispercutters 10 had men from Assault Squad led by Sgt Charn Chai and Praetor Ya Ksha aboard. Once confirmation that their target was in the area, they would drop. As the seconds ticked by, the 11 Jump packed equipped Raven Guard Assault force waited. Once the 5 XIXth Legion Seekers led by Sgt Rom Ran on the ground gave the signal, the Murders in Black would go to work.

Hi Folks, Another week, another progress report for CtA25. Although my second vow in the Xenos faction is not yet completed, it is closer of its ending than of its beginning. Indeed, after completing some Warpspiders last Saturday, I finally started working on the hoods, heads and weapons of the Shroudrunners which were set on standby for 3 weeks. I expect completing them in a couple of days, even if they are far from being what I consider as a good paintjob of mine while comparing with the last 2 years of job. Yet, it is as it is, and I will probably not improve them except at resuming completely the paint scheme and stepping back from the sponging technique I have tried on them. ([Edit] Which I do not consider as being an option) The current state of my painting on this vow is the following: - Warwalkers – done - Spiders – done - Rangers – done - Wraithguards – done - Spirit Seer – done - Wayleaper Autrach – 75%. I have started working on highlight and details. - Shroudrunners – 75%. As mentioned above, plus glueing crew on bikes. There are yet some odd stuff in this list, as, except the Wayleaper Autarch which is a conversion from bits and old models, all the other miniatures are relatively new ones. I mean, my purpose as declared is to clean up my pile of shame and bitz box without buying new stuff, except if it bring the small little extra that allow me to increase the cleaning up potential; say for example buying a squad to get enough bits allowing to recycle forgotten bodies in by big Aeldari bitz plastic bag; something like being able to build up 2 squads out of a single box, if you follow me. Clearly buying some Wraithguards and additional squads does not really fit the scheme, does it? This is where I may eventually try out an exercise of bad faith. Let’s talk of the Rangers and Shroudrunners. With the spare guns and slipcover/gun carryage cases, I have enough spares to customize 5 old Guardians bodies waiting in the bitz into 5 additional Rangers. Yet for an economic point of view, it is arguably a poor investment… This so-called demo produced out of my bad faith exercise is however to be counter balanced by another explanation, far more convincing IMHO. In order to know more about it we should step back a long long time ago, when 40k starter box for 2nd Ed has been released. Legendary times, except for old timers. At the time, I was more into WFRP, Bloodbowl, Talisman and WFB. Yet I had the 40k 1st Ed rules and started collecting Space wolves. I was able to field the 3 boxed sets (Blood Claw, Grey hunter and Long Fangs), Ulrick and Ragnar plus a Rhino. My gaming group was focusing on WFB but my best friend of the time started lurking into the local gaming store and finally grabbed the 2nd Ed starting box. It was a familial investment, with his 2 brothers picking up Orks and Marines respectively, while he decided stepping into Eldars. Our first games were with models out of paper silhouettes, just as it used to be in Blood Bowl at the time (it was before the release of the Edition with Astrogranit terrain). Color xerox from WD magazine and slota bases allowed building full forces on a budget; And Scenery was card board made too, so... That year I went on summer camp in Plymouth area (UK) and he charged me with a mission to spend his piggy bank content into Eldar models. I came back with all its list completed: Spiders, Banshees, Plastic Guardians (the quick fit ones with lasgun), Scouts (before they become Rangers) and Dark Reapers. This has been the origin of my obsession for most Eldar models I bought; this obsession being only but fueled by the released that came out in the following years. I have therefore started buying and storing Eldar stuff, inc. a couple of years after from FW, until I started painting seriously this back og with CtA23. 20 years latter or almost. This obsession was rooted into the perceived quality of the models at the time: the sculpts were swift, balanced and more complex and good looking than the bulky SM. Yet, as time passed by, I stayed sticked with SW as my main gaming force for 40k, mainly because I had enough models to play seriously, and also because my investment capacity was such that changing direction at the time was meaning getting a little bit of everything and nothing in sufficient amount to be worth. I did as bees, foraging in gaming stores when I saw a model I liked in the Eldar range, but without making that leap of faith. And I kept my money for WFB (which will be a cause of big frustration when the End of Times came and erased the World that Was, until resurrection of the Old World… but this is a different story). This obsession was embodied into a limited number of models: Walkers, Spiders (which were the deadliest out of the deadly units of that era as far as I remember), Reapers and Scouts. As you see now, this is indeed a best reason for fielding Rangers than pretending using a couple of spare guns. Even if I may end doing it… I have now sufficient earnings to fuel my obsession and addiction, but I lack time. So, I focus on painting side only atm. But digging into the pile of shame reactivated that visceral need to grab the Eldar models I spent so much time staring art in the WD pages that the images are engraved in my eyes by retinal persistence effect. Or almost. I am therefore slowly completing that lust for Eldar models, getting most of the ones I wanted for so long, except Reapers that will be my next dose of Nostalgy driven spending. (I do like these better than the current plastic models, but the plastic ones will do the job too when I will grab some. In a (not so close?) future buy) Never underestimate perseverance (isn’t it a better word than obsession?). See you when the vow will be completed enough to be worth a new post.

Hi Folks, It looks like I recovered a painting rhythm worth of the one I had during lock-down. Indeed, I completed a new squad into something like 3 days again. This time we talk of Warp Spiders. These Spidey’s fan boyz (and girlz) were pre-painted separating them into 4 batches: Bases, Bodies, Warp Generators and Weapons. Then they underwent final assembly. This is where the things went less comfortable. I must admit I did my clipping poorly and mixed parts that do not correspond to the exact same model. With the design of the sprue as it is, one shall be aware that parts are not fully compatible to be swapped from one model to another. It is advisable to follow strictly the numbering of the instruction manual. Anyway, if no one goes looking at the details of the joints underneath the Warp generator, in the end it is hard to detect which model required some cuttings and adjustments and which one is as per the genuine instructions. The other all paint job has been rather straight forward. I was thinking about a paint scheme over the past 3 weeks but once decided for a simple one with limited color pallet, it has been rather easy to deploy. I went for something close enough of the GW scheme used on the Spider’s Phoenix Lord. The black body was dry brushed with Eshin Grey and Thunderhawk Blue. I expected the last step will eventually suggest remanent buzzing energies from the last warp jump, but, let’s admit it, it is not really the case. Not enough contrast maybe or it is just the dry brush that is poorly done/not adapted for the purpose I seeked for. The weapon and the warp lightnings were done in blue like for my Yncarne soul’s typhoon and Mandrakes flaming hands. In the end it gives a rather nicely looking squad that will complete my Saim-Hann force with some extra mobility and a scary Spider Exarch able to execute swiftly weakened units by means of its 10 attacks. Next step will be the Autarch and the riders of the Shroudrunners jetbikes. The latter are rather well advanced, missing only arms, weapons and heads. The former is a red coated mini. See you folks, PS: Painting these spiders has also be the opportunity for coming back to painting of a SW (partly). Or at least a helmet left at the feet of the token totem. DISCLAIMER: No space pup has been hurt in this process. One shall remember that these weirdoes wandering around without helmet should naturally leave/forget them somewhere… You can also visit my SW gallery here: https://bolterandchainsword.com/gallery/album/17545-bouargh´s-space-wolves/

In late 2022, a friend would introduce to the world of Warhammer 40K when he showed me the games club he attended every week. I've been a part of this games group since then, getting into 40K, as well as Necromunda, and more recently, Age of Sigmar. The club for the last few years has held a 40K tournament, around October-early December each year, with different people running it. A few months ago, at the club's AGM, I got to be put in charge of the club's tournaments for this financial year. It had a bit of a rough start. On our club's group chat, a member suggested that maybe we should use chess clocks to keep time in our 40K tournament this year. A couple agreed with him, but a lot more disagreed with him. I also stated my disagreement, saying that I wanted the tournaments to be friendly, casual, and accessible for all skill levels. I think time pressure would go against it. That, and we had a 4 hour time slot to set up, play, and put away a 1500 point game, which seemed mostly doable. I actually went and bought a cheap chess clock, played a 1500 point game with it, and then donated it to the club, just to try it, and see if it changed my mind. It was an interesting experience, but didn't change my mind. Sadly, the member who brought this issue up, would suddenly quit the group chat, and seemingly the club as well right after I pushed back against his idea. I have been told he has done this before in the past, fallen out with someone and quit for a while. I don't think anyone blames me for what happens, and I hope he decides to return at some point, so I can properly apologise to him. Being the tournament organiser for the year, I was keen to want to have one for Horus Heresy, The Old World, and Age of Sigmar as well as 40K, since those game systems were all popular in the club. Horus Heresy was the first I "organised", although really what I ended up doing was having to outsource that one since I know nothing about HH. I really wanted to get HH done since that was when the rumours of 3rd edition were going around, and thought it was best to do an HH event before 3rd edition would change everything. That was pretty simple, he got a campaign with 6 people over 3 games, and they knocked it out over 3 weeks. The next on the list was The Old World, since at this point I wanted to wait for The General's Handbook 2025-2026 to release for AoS first to use it for that tournament. The Old World tournament would see 10 participate over 4 rounds, with me boring a rule book and getting some help to choose what scenarios to use. Annoyingly, when I was organising this was when GW announced the Match Play booklet, so we didn't end up using that. For next time though. The Old World tournament would drag on a bit, since this was during June and July, and some people were also going on holiday. I had to extend deadlines a couple of times, and even then, that didn't always work out. Round 2 would see 4 people not play, and Round 3 see 2 people not play. Still, most games would happen, and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. It did end of a slightly anti-climatic note, as due TOW's core book's rather simplistic tournament scoring system, 3 people finished in joint first with 9 points each. The Age of Sigmar tournament is starting next week. I've been very involved with this one, as for the last month and a bit, I have been finally learning how to play AoS, so that I can participate with my Skaven. 10 participants, 4 rounds 1500 points. I will be a bit harsher this time on deadlines since we will also be doing the 40K tournament straight after this, and we just don't have time to delay that even further. Using The General's Handbook was pretty easy, since unlike the 40K mission deck, in AoS battleplans come with the mission rules, deployment zones, and even terrain layouts all ready decided. I ended up choosing 4 battleplans that were relatively easy to understand and had a good amount of variety, and getting a couple of AoS veterans to approve my choices. I'm looking forward to this, as well as getting to sink my teeth into the tournament personally. Probably going to get dominated, but it's good experience. Finally, the plan is to do the 40K tournament in early October to early December. 4 rounds again, 1500 points, probably looking at least 10+ people, 40K is still the most played game at our club currently I say, even if a few members are really annoyed by the current state of 10th edition. Will use Chapter Approved 2025-2026, use the tournament packed to choose the 4 combinations of mission and deployments. Should be fun, I'm hoping to run my Kroot Hunting Pack this time. I'll probably update this blog in a couple of months once the AoS tournament is over. I've been enjoying running things, I like to manage things. Just trying my best to make these enjoyable for everyone. Any advice or criticism is welcome. Thank you.

Hi Folks, It is astonishing how much hobby tasks you can complete when kids are in summer camps. Last few days saw me completing the Rangers and the Spirit seer. Whereas I also started priming and making the cloaks on the shroudrunner riders. It is therefore a total of 15,5 points painted out of the 38 pts vow. And the rest of the pledge is already quite well launched, with only WarpSpiders being in a state of still being on sprues. The rest of this sunday, thanks to the rainy day, will leave me even more time to keep on progressing: base colours on war walkers and keeping on working on the shroudrunners. I did not do anything on the Autarch since I set the base colours. and Warwalker have been built in subassambly last night and are ready to receive their first base colours too. I am currently thinking about how to paint the Spiders. Whereas I am a little bit fed up with red, I still want keeping it to link with the Craftworld. I am therefore thinking about an inverted colour scheme, à la Spiders' Phoenix lord: black bodies and red warp generator. But I will give it a night or two in order to decide if I go that way or change my mind. See you soon with more progress or maybe even sooner if I have some lightspeed progress.

I have recently had the chance to join a local gaming group (Midhammer if there is anybody local who knows it), so now I'm getting to play games! Yeay! I've now got 2 full games under my belt, and I start in the tournament in September... I'm expecting bottom of the table results Bonus points are awarded for painted armies, so that means I need to get the proverbial digit out and painting! So, continuing from my previous Terminator Captian entry, this WIP "counts as Bladeguard" from the Sword Brethren box is the first squad of my list being worked on, and yeah, it's a lot of work but hopefully I'll get most of it painted in the next month. I doubt it, but the hope is there!

Hi Folks, Less than one week after pledging a second vow, I already have some progress with one completed unit of Wraithguards. And a small close up on one WG: One big advantage of the Saim-Hann paint scheme (oand of COntrast color range) is that is is relatively easy to harvest quick results. Without any kind of irony, I can say that I spent as much time painting and flocking the bases that doing the bodies and heads. Gamewise I have decided fielding this army only becaus eI have suffered so big losses from Wraith weaponery in a game last year that I needed to pick up some just to confort me back... Pure jealousy and alt-FOMO. As I have been a little bit disorganized, trying spong painting techniques for example, I have started almost everything, beside my entries for 12MoH that will probably be worked on this week-end. Shall I complete the Rangers and Spirit seer that are very very close to completion first. So, the completion rate for this pledge is: - Autarch - base colours only - Seer - finishing touches (gems and head) and basing to be done - Rangers - heads and basing to be done - Shroud runners - bikes done, crew to be started (these are not even primed) - Spiders - sprues primed - Warwalkers - sprues primed (and one icon cliped away to be used on Wraithguard base) Not that bad so far. I am even ahead of schedule. See you once more stuff will be done.

When doing an army the how and what you do is down to choice, to a greater or lesser degree - but no, you cannot take the Emperor. However there is also the why. For me I like my actual model choices, their options, and how I build them, to link back to (and be informed by) some background information - before D6s I was known to roll D20s and D100s, so there will always be that roleplaying narrative element with me and what I do. So, for the Iron Warriors there are some statements about them from the Horus Heresy Book 3 - Extermination that I used for this: The Brethren of the Iron Warriors - The Lyssatra: The Brethren of Thunder - aka the 'burned men' Obscure and cult-like and with an obssession for destruction and devastation that others consider impractical and insane I knew I could have fun with this, from Siege Captains who'd had accidents with phosphex, to generally selecting more esoteric weapons like volkites and disintegrators just because I could, as a recurring theme of having some of the maddest of the bad really appealed - a dumping ground of a Grand Battallion where Destroyer type behaviour is not only welcomed but is actively encouraged. Unit Organisation and Structure Within the Legion: High attrition means Battalions etc. just fold into each other as required - forget glorious and storied unit histories (let alone individuals) - you'll go where you are told, join who you are told to, and kill whom you are told to: this means having units with mixed marks of armour fits, they get thrown together as required. Techincal aptitude - they can and do modify their equipment, customarily practical in approach they did so to further the functionality and cutomised their personal panoply of war: this means having mixed armour parts that they repair as they go, and those different odd resin upgrade helm and shoulder pads etc. fit (quite literally), and it isn't to just look cool (although it can do), it will have been done for a practical reason. This also fits wirth the arms in the newer plastic kits, where the special/heavy weapon, and close combat weapon sprue arms are not going to match marks perfectly. Regards armour merely aesthetic (note, not fuctional) damage is deemed irrelevant, they only repair bewteen warzones: so bloodied, burned and battered is the way i.e. lots of weathering, streaks, and with chain weapons...let there be blood. Stor-Bezashk - the specialists assigned out from their own Grand Battalion to others, and are even better at siege warfare than "normal" Iron Warriors, and they also like atomic weapons, phosphex shells, and gravitic munitions (who doesn't?) - a throwaway line in Angel Exterminatus is that their livery is bronze cloaks - this creates interesting modelling opportunities such as bronze cloth, or bronze mail, or bronze scalemail even, or for background on where a character may have come from, or where the Saturnine or Leviathan Dreadnought had their very large gravitic weapons fitted and maintained. Other books: Age of Darkness: Iron Within, Iron Without; Ironfire, Angel Exterminatus Horus Heresy short stories or novels in which the Iron Warriors feature prominently. These are filled with nuggets of potentially visual information, such as Warsmiths have cloaks as part of their panoply (chainmail for Toramino and Krendl, cloth for Dantioch), Stor-Bezashk have bronze cloaks, the men of Lochos have long scalp locks to the Delchonians having whorled facial tattoos to Itherak Mountain men having red hair (Kroegers people), to Vedric Tyrperchs having forked beards. Or a most senior Captain to a Warsmith is called an Iron Palatine as an honorific. That sort of think can be modelled and painted if you wish and you'll find loads if you read carefully enough. Practical Applications So in a practical sense how does this inform things when it comes to the models? Well, take the below, my first choices for my Primary Crusade Detachment, my High Command choice (a Warsmith) and a Command choice (a Centurion): So for the Warsmith it became simple - the stock one, or the Warhammer World one, do not have cloaks - Warsmiths have cloaks so a cloak I have added. This has made me consider other positions and aspects for facing that I would not have done otherwise. They can also have a cyber-familiar and have IN10, and with that -2 to the check from said familiar (on cognis signum checks), it is a no brainer to take one - so added a cyber-familiar that adds to the model - well, I have some to chose from and I am still deciding. I want him brutal looking but also practical and hi-tech - so the spike is removed from the crusher and the addition of more servo arm type things is imminent. He is also supposed to have a cortex controller and a cognis signum and all the other models that have those have aerials on their backs, so my Warsmith is going to have hi-tech aerials on his back, just behind the servo armour mounting bracket so they are out of the way and are less likely to snap off. You get the idea... With the Centurion it was more I liked the new model as a base but... He can take a thunder hammer, and as an Iron Warrior Command that can be a Graviton Crusher instead - so I converted one out a spare Warpsmith hammer head, an old resin graviton gun, and lengthend the powermaul haft using some spare handle from an old crozius from the MKIV Chaplain from Betrayal at Calth, and made it the same length as the thunder hammer on the resin siege breaker model. The cloak was too flaymboyant for me, especially for a 32mm base size model, and not very practical, but a smaller one taken from Deathwatch may work. Edit: been fiddling, it very much does. The main thing was the MKVI Iron Warrior sergeant helm: the bullet crest is amusing and very Mad Max Bullet Farm but for an Iron Warriors sergeant? But for a Captain of the Brethren of Thunder, in the Hateful 88th - no, that fits - it really fits (after you drill out a neck hole anyway). That then led to the combi-disintegrator - he has the graviton crusher to hit vehicles (so no need for the combi-melta) and he'll be shooting out to 24" so he could go with either a boltgun or disintegrator squad - maybe he developed a love for them as a veteran and that became an obession - is that why he is in the Lyssatra? Did it Overload and take out his eye and thus that is why it is bionic, or did he remove his eye so he could see destruction across all the spectrums of light? Does he keep the spent bolt casings from his most memorable kills and add them to his crest? As for background beyond that - well, he is the Warsmith's second so he will be an Iron Palatine. Anyway, you get the idea but remember that whilst some ideas may end up not working on a model it can be worth keeping the idea and bits for tryng on another one - things that didn't work out for these guys will be used on a Master of Signals, a Siege Breaker, a Praevian, a Legion Champion, a Moritat, and a Herald. I am also converting the standard Warsmith into a Centurion in Cataphractii armour. Yes, he is going to have a cloak.

I am so looking forward to completing one of my pledges - the Night Rovfugl, Barcza, and his team of Kasrkin. I will get this done this weekend. It is, quite honestly, one of the most adventurous models I have taken on. You ain't seen no Valkyrie yet, guys. And, in keeping with my mixing of languages and giving my vehicles some character, 'rovfugl' is akin to 'bird of prey' in Danish. The Night Rovfugl flew blacked-out, its matte hull cutting low across the desert. No lights nor insignia. Just the shimmer of heat bleeding from shielded exhausts, briefly visible, then gone. Inside, the troop compartment was dim and red-lit, casting the squad in blood and shadow. Ten troopers sat in silence, visors down, weapons held loosely across their laps. Straps swayed faintly with the motion of the hull. Barcza sat near the rear ramp, his helmet resting between his boots. He scanned each figure once, methodically, then tapped his throat mic. “Roll call.” The replies came clipped, one after another. “Lis.” “Raven.” “Slate.” “Gauge.” …others followed, each punctuated by a nod, a pat on the side of their weapon. They were ready. Weapons were checked again. Magazines seated. Grenades counted. Las-sights flicked on, then off. Barcza slid his helmet on and locked it tightly. His visor polarised with a faint click. No one spoke. A red light above the side doors pulsed twice. The cabin shifted subtly as the Rovfugl dropped in to hover. The sound wasn’t a roar, more a pressure. A low, rhythmic throb, felt more than heard. Fast and tight as it neared the drop point. Each pulse landed in the chest like a second heartbeat. The red light turned amber. Then green. The doors slid open. Barcza stood first. One hand up, a closed fist: hold. Two fingers pointed forward: on me. A flat palm, sweeping left: form wedge. The squad moved. Ten black shapes dropped into the dark. No comms. No noise but the soft grind of boots on dry grit. The Night Rovfugl lifted behind them. There was no flare nor aftershock. Just a lingering pressure in the air, then nothing. Barcza gave a short circular signal: check arcs. Two peeled left. Two right. The rest swept forward, low and methodical. He tapped his mic once, low gain. “Follow me.” And they moved into the dust, into the dark.

I really quite enjoyed exemplary battles when they were a thing and was quite frankly gutted once they went, no matter I'll just make my own with 40k kits and other delights! My first battle is the Battle of Skallic a two part mini campaign myself and friend played a few weeks back to test out some 30k in 40 minute rules I converted from 3rd ed 40k. It pits the Death guard vs Salamanders on a fungal agri world in my 30/40k narrative setting The Cathedra Sector Link below https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vAGBBWKb2uOj2lRbFtRPUZVYtVzcQBok/view?usp=drive_link The exemplary battle unit https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yY_vbO_Nug_ERd-LvVmwz1eKe8ZKf0Zq/view?usp=drive_link

Hello all, So, for this blog post I've been perusing Codex SW and thinking about list building. A lot of the units in the list below would be counts-as of one form or another (for example, the Fenrisian Wolves will be Servitors and the Gladiator Lancer will be represented by a Sicaran Venator), but for the purposes of this post I figured I'd keep it simple by focusing on what stuff will be in game terms. It's not intended as mega competitive, but just a fun list to play with. However, I don't want it to be utter trash either. Hopefully it's somewhere in between. *** Wolves 2k Detachment: Saga of the Bold C: SW - Logan 110 Joins WGTDA x5 170 3 x Power Weapon and Storm Shield 1 x Assault Cannon and Power Fist Relic Greataxe Wolf Priest 70 Joins Headtakers x6 170 Power Weapons and Storm Shields WGBL 65 Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield With Braggart's Steel Enhancement 20 Joins Grey Hunters 1 180 Sgt with Power Fist, Plasma Pistol Njal 85 Joins Grey Hunters 2 180 Sgt with Power Sword, Bolt Carbine Bjorn FH 170 Helfrost Cannon Iron Priest 60 (Accompanies Bjorn) Iron Priest 60 With Skald Enhancement 15 (Accompanies Gladiator and/or Predator) Fenrisian Wolves x5 40 C: SM - Gladiator Lancer 160 Predator Annihilator 135 Sponson Lascannons Desolators 200 Hellblasters x5 110 *** It's 2k on the nose. Idea is that it's a solid core of infantry with a few heavy hitters. Obviously Logan+TDA will teleport in, hopefully with the goal of completing Overrun Their Position. The WGBL, Wolf Priest and their attached squads will move up to meet Logan and take the midfield, with Bjorn, Hellblasters and the first Iron Priest in support. Njal and his GH should be fairly mobile for objective grabbing, along with the Fenrisian Wolves. Tanks and Desolators with the second Iron Priest (with Skald Enhancement) will form my firebase. Between Logan, Bjorn and the IP with Skald, I would hope to have more CP to play with than my opponent. As I said, some of the choices aren't uber-competative, such as the GH and Desolators, but they are more fitting as fluffy picks for the Marines Adamant. Any comments would be very welcome though!

With my play groups desire to stick to 2.0 I thought it would be nice to post about an ongoing project I have been working on for use within the group. The initial kitbashes for a number of home made datasheets representing a more traditional space marine force. I wanted something that felt like a bridge between 30k and the 7th ed marine codex. Below is the current version of the datasheets along with a rite of war and consul option, I'm hoping eventually once I get a few more games in with it to continue expanding it into a full army list https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FzTFsAVbMBj83ycxZ4qcCSNPfXF5iRHa/view?usp=drive_link

So I have been moving forward with my XIVth Legion. Nothing major, just some minor things like picking up decals One of my local gaming stores is talking about a slow grow league starting at 500 points, requiring us to paint the models. This would be good for me as it allows to focus on building my XIVth Legion in blocks. XIVth Legion Primary Detachment 500 pts Centurion* CombiMelta Power Maul *Unnatural Resilience [+1 wd, Eternal Warrior ( 2)] Tactical Squad* +5 additional Legionares Vexilla Sgt Power Fist 15 pts *Master Sergeant [+1 Attacks, WS, Leadership, & Champion] Tactical Support Detachment Heavy Support Squad 5 Volkite Culverin Augury Scanner Tactical Support Squad 5 Volkite Caliver That would use 26 of my 30 32mm Trench bases. I should figure out a 500 pt list for my Ravenguard

The tabletop miniature wargaming hobby is a fascinating diversion, combining elements of history (or lore), artistry, craftsmanship, gaming, and socializing. Originating in historical wargames firmly grounded in the real world, the hobby has since expanded to include imaginative and fantastical settings, broadening its appeal. Where historical wargamers might devote considerable time to researching their chosen forces, assembling and painting their chosen forces with painstaking attention to detail, hobbyists in fictional settings find considerably more freedom. Some settings might provide lore to guide those hobbyists who desired to "accurately" represent forces, but most fictional settings allow players to exercise creativity, either providing loose guidance from which hobbyists could deviate or enabling (and encouraging) hobbyists to create bespoke forces. The first DIY Chapter for which I created an article was the Fists of Purity Chapter. I'll cover this article/Chapter in the article about theme, but you can read the case study here. One of the great strengths of the Warhammer 40,000 hobby is that it allows hobbyists to make the hobby their own. The diverse factions allow hobbyists to find those whose concepts and gameplay they find appealing, and many of these factions include a variety of sub-factions that serve as variations on themes, often presenting even more nuanced versions of the main factions. For example, the flagship faction of the setting is the Adeptus Astartes, the genetically engineered post-human soldiers organized into autonomous Chapters of about 1,000 warriors each. The iconic Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes is the Ultramarines, though this Chapter draws upon a Greco-Roman theme. In contrast, the Space Wolves Chapter bears a theme based upon the barbaric tribes of northern Europe, especially the Vikings, but also including the Rus, the Celts, and others. Similarly, other Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes have distinctive elements, offering hobbyists diverse choices for finding a Chapter that appeals to them, whether based on appearance, background, or rules. Moreover, Games Workshop has fleshed out only a small percentage of the 1,000 or so Chapters that are thought to exist. Many more are little more than a name and color scheme, and sometimes only a name. And fewer than half of the 1,000 or so Chapters have been named, giving hobbyists room to create custom Chapters. Similarly, the other factions of the setting allow members to create custom sub-factions, whether regiments of the Astra Militarum, cadres of the T'au Empire, Ork warbands, or any of the others. The Adepta Sororitas, though at one time more homogenous than the Adeptus Astartes, provide room for creativity, too, such as with my Order of the Faithful Sword. For many hobbyists, developing their own do-it-yourself (DIY) forces is very appealing, allowing them to flex their creative muscles. Whether they are attempting to work within the limitations and allowances of the known lore or they are mixing other genres or settings into the game, the process and its results can be very rewarding. There is no set process for DIY creation, however. In addition, there is no required end-state. Hobbyists are free to put in as much or as little work and time as they desire or have available, crafting a final product that satisfies their personal objectives. This freedom and lack of structure poses challenges, with many hobbyists struggling throughout the process. In addition, many strong-willed but well-meaning hobbyists will seek to tell others how they should create their DIYs, attempting to dictate their personal opinions as gospel truth. This often led to conflict and, unfortunately, abandoned efforts (or efforts taken elsewhere). Hobbyists don't need to focus on articles similar to the Index Astartes articles. Instead, they might focus DIY development on creating rules such as those I created for a bespoke Aspect Warrior Shrine, the Void Hornets of the Asuryani. Building on some seminal guides that I found on the Internet back in the late '90s, I wrote the first significant article on DIY creation on the B&C. Over the last 25 years, other guides have appeared here at the B&C and elsewhere, including multiple instances of Games Workshop providing advice on the subject. Each of these guides has been very good, each in their own way, and each worthy of consultation and consideration. Over the last 25 years, my understanding of DIY creation has evolved. In addition, I have found myself at odds with advice that other members have given. In most cases, points of contention were largely based on either varying interpretations of lore or advice being, in my opinion, overly restrictive. In addition, there have been developments to the official lore, whether fleshing out details that were previously unknown or undeveloped or contradicting previous information. This series of blog entries serves as an expanded and revised presentation of my own advice on the subject of DIY creation, incorporating the advice from various posts I have made on the subject over the years. As with my previous efforts, this advice will use the Adeptus Astartes as examples, though the principles of DIY creation apply equally to the other factions of the setting. The blog entries serve as the initial drafts on each subject. These will be revised based on feedback, posted as articles available for both online reading and downloading. Hopefully, the advice I provide will help other hobbyists in their endeavors to create DIY forces. These are just my opinions, however, and prospective DIY creators should not take anything I say as gospel truth. In my articles you are sure to find things that you agree with as well as things with which you disagree. If I say anything that you disagree with, you should ignore it (and I'd love to see different viewpoints in the comments). In addition, prospective DIY creators should also consult other guides on the subject, both here at the B&C and elsewhere. Though I may disagree with some of the suggestions made in some of those other guides, there are probably many more things in them with which I agree. Regardless of my own opinions on them, and despite any misgivings I may have with them, they contain valuable advice from hobbyists who have devoted considerable time to the subject and you may find that they help you in your own endeavors. My most recently completed DIY, not including the Fire Hawks (my personal version of the official Chapter you know as the Relictors) is the Nova Hawks Chapter. I feel it necessary to explain the conceit of the title of the blog category, which will be incorporated into the series of blog entries and the resulting articles. "The Principia Libertas of Frater Tyler: A Guide to DIY Creation in the Warhammer 40,000 Setting" sounds a bit poncy, don't you think? The original article that I wrote 25+ years ago was given the rather pedestrian title of "DIY Chapters: Creating Your Own Space Marine Chapter for Warhammer 40,000." That article was later followed by "On the Nature of Crusades and DIY Chapters." For this updated version, knowing that I was expanding beyond what the earlier articles covered, I wanted a title that sounded like it came out of the setting, much the way Games Workshop has presented the Index Astartes (the series of articles named for the fictional "great book of the Legiones Astartes"), the Liber Sororitas (an article in White Dwarf Magazine that similarly appears to be named for an in-universe book about the Adepta Sororitas), etc. The Insignium Astartes book mentioned the "Liber Arcanum of Grand Marshall Tolof" as one of the documents in contention for the title of oldest known version of the Codex Astartes, and I liked the pseudo-Latin format (we love pseudo-Latin here at the B&C) as well as the inclusion of the author's name. I felt it was important for this series of articles to include my name, not for chest-thumping credit but to emphasize the fact this serves as one hobbyist's opinions and not as some definitive guide. The "Liber" portion of the title was great, especially since that's also the name of the forum in which we focus DIY development at the B&C, but I wanted the title to focus on freedom (Libertas) and "Liber Libertas" sounded dumb; so I replaced "Liber " with "Principia" (fundamental principles). As for my name, I went with "Frater Tyler" instead of my display name of Brother Tyler. Both allude to the same concept - I'm [just] a hobbyist whose opinion is neither more nor less authoritative than anyone else's. As Brother Tyler, however, I'm also the owner and head administrator of the site, with a level of authority over site issues. DIY creation is not a site issue thing, however, so I changed "Brother" to the Latin "Frater" which also serves as the core word in the title of most members of the site "Frater Domus." Similarly, the sub-title of the blog category is "A Guide to DIY Creation in the Warhammer 40,000 Setting." It's not "The Guide..." - it's simply "A Guide..." No individual can claim to provide "the" guide, after all. And though I'm focusing on the Adeptus Astartes for my examples, the advice I provide applies equally well to the other factions, so the sub-title focuses on "DIY Creation" without specifying any faction. At the end of the day, this series of articles should be considered as if written by a low-level scribe in the Adeptus Terra - worthy of being ignored or incorporated into your own DIY creation efforts as you see fit. The post you are reading serves only as the introduction to this series of blog posts/articles. It will be followed by articles covering a range of subjects, including theme, format, etc. The most important thing for any DIY creator to remember is that they are the ultimate arbiters of their process and outcomes. Other hobbyists' input and recommendations should be received with grace and dignity, and should be given due consideration. There is no requirement whatsoever to incorporate any one individual's feedback, especially if the DIY creator will not be pleased with the outcome. The final goal of DIY creation, after all, is to create a force that the creator will enjoy. Other hobbyists might have opinions about the end result, but they are not in any way affected by it.

Hi Folks, My assembly and kit bash jobs for my Asuryanii are in their final rounds. After making 5 Rangers using spare bitz from genuine Ranger kit and Shroudrunners, building 2 Voidreavers out of one KT Aeldari Corsair kit, I have stated building a third VoidReaver squad out of every little thing I could recover from my Eldar and Dark Eldar bitz bag. I have managed gathering: - 2 pairs of legs from ooP Guardians set - 4 Kabalites from Drukhari Raider and 2 Wytches from the Drukhari Venom - 2 cloaks from Harlies - 5 Guardians from the 2022 kit - 9 torsos from Eldar vehicle crews and jetbike riders. I have therefore enough stuff to build up to 13 footsloggers. Theoretically speaking of course. First task is to resolve the challenge of the dark Eldars bodies: these crew members present odd poses because of the purpose of the models: hanging on the side of the vehicles. Feet and legs may, because of that, show curious angles. Cutting and repositioning the feet is always an option. Yet it will require pinning and resculpting part of the leg because when you use the saw or the clips, you lose length… The search of an option that allows keeping the general pose is therefore a very suitable option. But you need pieces of scenery to support that such as poles, posts, ruined walls or columns… You may end up with something like that (the 2 guies doing fitness and street workout): I am anyway short of that kind of scenery and items. So what’s left? The tactical rock(s)! Indeed it can be sculpted and molded out of a little bit of putty and with zero skill or almost. This is the way I’ve choosen, doing 6 bases in total, enough for all the Drukhari legs. Legs because the Rocks do solve the point of feet angles but not the one of arms. For these, I did it simple: cut/cut/cut. Torso will be changed with the ones from the Eldar crew. As these torsos are (leather) jacketed I may call the final squad the Black Rebels maybe… Here are the six tactical rocks WIP: - Stairs, out of sprue plastic and putty - Spicky totem, out of spare Raider prow and putty - Rocks, out of sprue plastic and putty, or putty alone - Collapsed wall and/or armor panel, out of putty and waiting to be personalized with Chaos armored panels from the ooP CSM vehicle accessories sprue The next step has been beheading the jetbike and eldar crew torsos in order to swap heads. And then final assembly will come, using a max of bitz left from Scourges’ kits: Short barreled carabines, Shredder and Blaster. Additional Corsair bitz (the flacon must be used somewhere) and other add-ons here or there (DE daggers or grenades) will do the job. In the mean time, as you may see, I’ve molded a copy of the front part of and Harlie torso in order to get the 2 trench coats usable. This is a little bit raw and the putty will have to be smoothed and reworked to get a cleaner effet. Let’s see you latter in order to share the result and decide if this improbable assembly is not to dysmorphic and unbalanced.

I rehased and updated my first blog post. Deciding to study economics full time (distance) whilst working full time, raising family, deployed overseas twice and every other constraint hobbying took the back seat. But I kept seeking bargains and now I have built and will now paint. Ive shelved my stacks of Necrons. 40k is a dying game in my life. I sold my loyalist Badab Armies, now Im focussed on building the biggest Astral Claws Army known to man. I am also developing my HH DA Fallen (Traitor) army build from OOP (2nd to 5th Edition 40k Models), classic FW and some kitbash to newer HH models. Pics in Album

Barely surviving his daring escape from the Chaos gulag world of Gharus XI, due to the interference of Warsmith Tarn and his Terminator retinue, the wounded Godwyn Bullroarer was dragging bleeding into the Webway by his Eldar Outcast compatriot, Niall Wayleaver. When they emerged from that labyrinth of subspaces, the two found themselves in no less danger, having exited the Webway on Fenris, home of the Space Wolves. There, in a isolated corner of the continent Asaheim, the injured Cyning was forced to undergo an impromptu Test of Morkai, suffering from the Cors Arawn. Despite the odds, he survived to reach the Aett — a fact that earned the formerly aloof Vlka Fenryka's respect for the New Albian warrior. During his convalescence, the Cyning was thoroughly examined medically and interrogated by the Wolf Priests, who had long held their suspicions about the Greymanes' gene-seed purity. While Godwyn was reticent to, he had no choice but to confirm their theories — the Greymanes had, at great cost, attempted to 'hammer out' the Curse of Wulfen. Though this revelation caused no small amount of consternation amongst the traditionalist Space Wolves, Logan Grimnar himself calmed their ire. Had the Greymanes, he told them, not suffered with a curse of their own? "The marks might be different, but the struggle is the same." Now bedecked in a new panoply of war, wrought for him in the Hammerhold, and wielding a rehafted Caladbolg, Godwyn seeks to bring justice to Tarn. Not just for his own pride, or for fallen Ferdiad, but for all who have suffered at the Warsmith's hands... An update to my Chapter Master for the Greymanes, using the Wolf Guard Battle Leader as a basis.

"Disrupt the Enemy Lines!" will be a series of blog articles for my LGS HH 3.0 Slow Grow Campaign Lists are updated monthly; new 500pt increments must be submitted by the end of the first weekend each month. List Writing Restrictions No Characters with the Unique Special Rules Your first 500pt list MUST contain a High Command Unit How to Score Points Each month you can earn up to 3 points for your team: Fully paint this month’s 500pts Win your monthly game Add to your army’s story with a short passage of written lore So I have to get work as sign up ends Friday and games start Saturday (pending Legacy PDF release). My planned 500 pts: Praetor - Corvid Jump Pack, Pair of Raven's Talon, Melta Bombs Assault Squad- 10 man- Sgt Twin Lightning Claws, 2 Power Mauls, Prime Unit (Master Sgt-?) Seeker Squad- 7 man Chain Blade, Nucio Vox, Augury Scanner Need to prime Assault squad and Praetor Seekers are getting paint.

Quick WiP post to keep my momentum going Been picking up details and missed base-colors the last couple of days when I have time. I was going to use waterslides for a lot of these details, but they seemed like more work than Free-Handing them so I just went for that. Better practice anyway. I decided I wasn't happy with the yellow tone so I went back through and made it deeper on them. I'm hopeful that I'll have time tonight to get an oil wash done, then its basing and done !

The Spirit Wyrds, colloquially known by many of the Marines Adamant Clans as ‘Storm Walkers’ or ‘Speakers of the Mists’, form the Chapter's Librarius. As such, they are powerful psykers, attuned to the mysteries of the Empyrean and the ways of the countless vaettir of Halstarrig. The Storm Walkers usually dwell in voluntary isolation from the rest of their brethren on Halstarrig's second moon, and are not technically considered as part of the Chapter's command structure, each Wyrd instead free to choose his own path or task as the spirits reveal it to him. Most commonly these seers act as advisors to the ten Warleaders and observers for the Clan Council. Though some Household commanders might not always wish to have a Speaker decide to join their force, it would be a very rare thing - a very inauspicious thing - to refuse their presence. So, as mentioned, a character! I got a Tigurius mini for a tenner (very happy with that!) and I knew immediately that I wanted to include it as part of this force as a counts-as Njal to lead a squad of Grey Hunters. Spirit Wyrds are very shamanistic in their understanding of the Warp, so I wanted to convert him to highlight that slightly feral feel. Obviously the Ultramarine badges needed to go, and I added some GS fur and a rune-stone with a tribal glyph picturing the warp! I also thought his staff would be a good opportunity to change his outline. I thought a twisted wood ‘wizard's staff’ might be a nice option, not usually seen on Librarians, so I took a few lengths of different thicknesses of wire and twisted them together. Once I had the shape I wanted, I coated the frame in several layers of liquid GS to get the effect of a branch. An end cap of regular GS was fairly easy to add. I thought the skull - marked with an ‘X’ - might be a relic of the Chapter Librarius, perhaps the remains of an IH Librarian who was one of the original members of the Marines Adamant Founding cadre? The antlers must be an addition from one of Halstarrig's native fauna! The hand needed a bit of sculpting, so I covered up any ugly ‘sausage fingers’ with a purity seal and an added totemic feather. I'm not sure about psychic effects on a mini, but I was considering doing some wisps of ethereal mist curling up and out from where his staff is touching the ground, maybe even adding some spectral faces/figures if I can get hold of any Nighthaunt Spirit Hosts bits? Not 100%, though… anyone got any thoughts on that?

Been a while since I've made a post, after the Knives in the Shadow competition, summer has been crazy busy between family and travel and whatnot. I also took a bit of a departure from the grimdark of the far future to dabble in models from a long time ago in a galaxy far away. Not entirely sure on the site policies regarding sharing pictures of other projects/games, so rather than risking an exterminatus on this post I'll limit my content to my current project. Call to arms is here! Or has been for a while and I'm finally here for it. Decided this would be a great time to paint up my Wreckas Kill team! Been excited about painting these boyz up for a while now, and its breathed fresh life into my hobby desk. Before I started on them I decided that I'd paint them up as Bad Moons, and since I wanted to have both leader options, why not go with the best new character BL has produced in ages and throw in Ufthak Blackhawk in the mix! I was also recently gifted a set of Kommandos, so rather than paint up a 3rd set of them I decided to convert one of the boyz into an extra rokkit boy (the rocket bitz with the plume are so awesome I wanted to use as many as I could). I also threw in the kommando bomb squig since the wreckaz normal ones are a bit bland in comparison and I had it around anyway. With only one kit-bash on deck they assembled and primed up pretty quickly. Once I got moving I was moving and didn't slow down to take pictures until after I had the skin applied. I used a new toy to apply the yellow without hitting the green, AK's airbrush putty. I've used tape and blutac in the past, but I gotta say...the putty is where its at. Easy to apply, didn't pull off paint and pulled off pretty easily even in nooks and crannies. It settles SUPER quickly, so it can "fall" onto areas you didn't intend to cover if you're not moving quickly or not checking it before spraying...but its an awesome product. Highly reccomend I used a yellow ink over white ink through an airbrush for the yellow. The areas where the white was strongest came out looking the best, but overall I wasn't particually thrilled with the yellow, still felt too flat. Fortunately a few layers of a glaze using a deeper yellow sorted that. I wanted to sort of match the GW scheme for Ufthak, so I stenciled in some flames using tape. They look pretty uniform here, but going back through the area with black and changing the heights/thicknesses broke them up and they look much better now (though I don't' have a picture yet) Summer has been slam packed with family stuff, and work has gotten crazy so my progress has been pretty slow, but even noodling on them a few hours a week has been satisfying. Mostly I just love painting orks. Simple as.

Since I'm working on a kill team for the Knives in the Shadows 2025 challenge (you can enter the challenge here, and since that challenge requires me to provide some background, I felt it appropriate to discuss the reasoning behind my (poor?) choices. If you examine my pledge in that challenge, you'll see that I committed myself to a kill team from the Fire Claws Chapter. Most of you will probably recognize that name, and many of you may know that it is the original (?) name of the Relictors Chapter. If you're not familiar with the background of the Relictors Fire Claws, or even if you are and just want to see what I know, I examined some key elements of that lore in this article. I didn't give my own theory about the Chapter in that article, however, as I wanted it to serve as a launching point for discussion of different theories (rather than promoting any one in particular). One of the interesting things about the Relictors Fire Claws is that every hobbyist has their own take on the Chapter. We've seen several other members present their Relictors Fire Claws over the years here at the B&C, and each is different and distinctive while drawing upon the same reservoir of lore. Back in 2021, I committed to my vision of the Fire Claws in another community challenge, the Liber Astartes Swap Challenge. That challenge required participants to create a DIY Chapter (or Heretic Astartes warband), and then for submitted Chapters/warbands to be randomly assigned to other participants. So participants had to develop sufficient information to give the other randomly assigned member an idea of what the DIY Chapter looked like so that they could assemble/convert and paint a model representing a member of that Chapter. So I had to come up with something. Before I present what I decided upon, I think it might be interesting to discuss the evolution of my ideas over the years. I've been a fan of the Relictors Fire Claws ever since they were first introduced during the 3rd edition of the Warhammer 40,000 game; and my views on the Chapter have evolved over the years. In fact, at this point it would be fair to say that there are two different theories that are in competition within my squirrely brain, though I definitely favor one. Actually, there are two origin theories and one current status theory (both of the origin theories feed into the same current status theory). Before we get to the theories, however, here's a very basic description of how my vision of the Chapter has evolved over the years. Note that this has all the weight of a feather - it's nothing more than my own personal take based on my attempts to reconcile the known lore and incorporate my own views (some of which aren't quite mainstream). So take this with a grain of salt - I'm not saying that this is the way it is - only that this is the way that I prefer to think about it. First and foremost, I intensely dislike the notion that the Fire Claws simply accepted the "Relictors" cognomen. The Adeptus Astartes are proud - proud of themselves and proud of their traditions. They are the Fire Claws Chapter and have carried that proud name since the Chapter's founding during the Age of Apostasy (M36). If the events of the Captor of Sin took place in the later centuries of M41 (which is what I infer, though the lore never explicitly states this to be so), the Chapter carried that proud name for over five millennia. It's difficult for me to envision the Chapter deciding to change their name to "Relictors." I think it much more likely that "relictor" was simply a term that connotated that the subject collected and used the artifacts of Chaos - something that would denote radical tendencies (in the language of the Inquisition). I hypothesize that the term had come into use long ago, most likely when one or more individuals/organizations followed the practice, and the term had come to be a sort of code word. To me, it seems much more likely that third parties began calling the Fire Claws by the "relictors" name, both describing their observed (suspected?) practice and condemning it. If that is indeed what happened, then the Fire Claws should have been insulted by the name. After all, the source of the Relictors Fire Claws deciding to collect and use Chaos relics was pride. They were prideful in thinking that they could wield such relics without succumbing to corruption. To me, it would have been more plausible for the Fire Claws to be indignant about the "Relictors" name, not adopt it with pride. Another issue to consider is that the skull icon that we refer to as the Chapter badge/icon was actually a penitent marking. This means that the Fire Claws had some other image as their Chapter icon. In the early evolution of my theories about the Chapter, I assumed that the grey and black color scheme was carried over from their Chapter approved Fire Claws livery and that the leering skull icon replaced the original Chapter icon to indicate that the Chapter was on its century-long penitent crusade. Just as important, upon successful completion of the crusade and being granted the Emperor's forgiveness, the Chapter would remove the penitent marking and resume use of its actual Chapter badge (though I could see [some] survivors of the penitent crusade incorporating the penitent marking into their panoply as a permanent reminder of their brush with heresy. So when I first began planning a Relictors Fire Claws army, I looked at the Chapter shortly after the incidents of the Captor of Sin but prior to being sent on a penitent crusade. My Relictors Fire Claws, then, would bear the original Chapter icon. Here's what I first conceived: I used the talon image from the Brazen Claws Chapter, turned it to reach upwards (instead of forwards), and incorporated a flame motif such as the Salamanders and Fire Hawks Chapters often used. I really liked how the 3rd edition rendition of the Salamanders Chapter incorporated individualized flame decorations on armour, as well as how the Fire Hawks similarly decorated their armour with flames, so I took the yellow flames of the Salamanders and the red flames of the Fire Hawks and used orange for the Fire Claws. As you can see from the shoulder pad rims, I kept the rest of the color scheme for the Chapter as shown for the Relictors. At one point, I even used that design on an image from the B&C's Space Marine Painter, resulting in: That's a veteran sergeant wielding a power sword. Later, the Angron's Monolith novella revealed that Chapter's original scheme was black and orange, though the arrangement of those colors was never described. So I went back to the drawing board, this time coming up with the scheme below: And this was where the Fire Claws Chapter sat within my brain until the LASC 21 challenge arose. While I loved the black flaming arms of the second scheme, it bothered me that I was limiting the concept of the custom flames that had been inspired by the 3rd edition Salamanders, and which were reinforced in the Horus Heresy black books. So I went back to the drawing board again, coming up with a scheme that allowed for more custom flame designs while using predominantly black and orange armour. The main design conceit here was making the hands orange while leaving the rest of the arms black. This played on the "fire claws" idea, substituting hands for claws. This also allowed me to use personalized flame decorations on models. The concept I used in my artwork was that the more senior the Fire Claw, the more likely they would be to have more personalized flame decorations. For example, the (assault) Veteran shown below only has personalized flames on both wrists whereas the Captain has personalized flames on both arms (up to the shoulder pads, modifying the Chapter icon somewhat), on both legs, and on his loincloth. The black flames on the loincloth are actually significant in that they indicate that this member of the Chapter has passed whatever tests there are to wield the relics of Chaos in battle. My original idea was that such members would be identified by a black laurel. I finally decided that there might be options for these indicators, including the (original) black laurel, the black flames, and a white crux (which the Captain above also has). So my conception of the Relictors Fire Claws Chapter is that they dislike the "Relictors" name and color scheme, and that they reverted to their original Fire Claws livery at the first opportunity (though my personal Fire Claws models would represent the Chapter prior to their penitent crusade). My basic view of the Chapter is that they are prideful, almost to the point of hubris. They see themselves as morally and spiritually superior, able to wield the relics of Chaos without taint or corruption. They are doing the Emperor's work, not succumbing to heresy. Their warrior cult is one of purity and stoicism, enduring hardships in their never-ending quest to fight for Humanity and the Emperor. Origin theory 1, the one I favor, is that the key elements of the Relictors Index Astartes article are correct. If you want to see origin theory 2, click the NEXT PAGE button that appears at the top and bottom of this post. Otherwise, you can skip forward to my current status theory. As for the Fire Claws Chapter's current status, I like the notion that they have Primaris among their ranks, but I think that the rendition of Primaris in the Relictors colors was wrong. By my way of thinking, that was a notional concept rendered by some scribe who was familiar with the Chapter as the Relictors, but who never saw them after the Torchbearer fleet actually arrived at Neutra and delivered the Greyshields. And this was all for good reason, because I enjoy the notion that the Torchbearer fleet that travelled to Neutra was special, that Roboute Guilliman was accompanied by a much larger contingent of Adeptus Custodes as well as members of the Inquisition and, perhaps, one or more other Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. I think it would have been fitting for Roboute Guilliman to have purged the Chapter of all members of the Conclave, forcing the Chapter to return to its Fire Claws colors and installing Primaris in officer positions. I can see this as a revision of the old story about the Grey Slayers from the 1st edition of the game, replacing the Grey Slayers with the Relictors Fire Claws and adjusting the elements of the story to align with the Fire Claws. If Games Workshop/Black Library ever paid me to write about the Relictors Fire Claws and didn't force me to the party line, Roboute Guilliman's purging of the Chapter would be my choice. If you're interested, I present a version of the Fire Claws' path to damnation (i.e., the Inquisition manipulating them) here. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. If you're interested in my other theory (which I decided to not use), click NEXT PAGE. If you just want to read about the Fire Claws kill team I'm planning for the Knives in the Shadows challenge, you'll have to wait for the next installment. This theory attempts to reconcile two things: The mention of the (a) "Relictors" Chapter operating in M33 (when the Index Astartes article told us that they are believed to have been created during the dark days of the Age of Apostasy - M36), and The notion that the Chapter may not have been indignant at the Relictors name, that they chose it. This theory is that there was a Chapter known as the Relictors back in M33, and this was the same Chapter that would later be known as the Fire Claws and then the Relictors (again). A Chapter active during M33 would have to be from the 7th or earlier founding, and could possibly be some (unknown?) 2nd founding Chapter. This Chapter wasn't originally known as the Relictors, but had some other name. For some reason, however, they began collecting and using the relics of the Great Enemy; and when this became known to others, the Chapter began to be called the "Relictors" by others. Few knew of this practice, however, and the Chapter was able to operate relatively unmolested for millennia. With the Age of Apostasy, however, and with Goge Vandire's antipathy towards the Adeptus Astartes, the Relictors Chapter saw an opportunity. They re-branded themselves as the Fire Claws, likely adopting a new color scheme and claiming to have been founded in M36. Their prior practice of collecting and using Chaos relics was repressed, though the members of the Librarium knew about this practice. The Chapter's influential Librarium preserved the secrets of the Chapter, but inculcated warrior cult practices that emphasized spiritual and moral purity. When Decario defeated the Excoriator with the daemon prince's own Chaos weapon, and with the added influence of Inquisitor De Marche, the Librarium was finally able to restore the previously proscribed practices. The Chapter then proudly reverted to its Relictors cognomen and livery (whatever the Chapter's icon was, it wasn't the leering skull penitent icon). And then everything went pretty much as the official material has described, though it branched into my current status theory (click PREVIOUS PAGE above/below and scroll to the bottom for a refresher). That's my very different and much more grimdark theory. I still favor origin theory 1, but the notion that the Relictors Chapter of M41 is just a continuation/resurgence of the original Relictors Chapter of M33, with all of the conspiracy and deceit, makes for an interesting story. Still, I'm sticking with the prideful Fire Claws version and not the relapsed Relictors version. If you just want to read about the Fire Claws kill team I'm planning for the Knives in the Shadows challenge, you'll have to wait for the next installment.

This blog post started life as an effort to better educate members on the benefits of Pages/Articles after some posts, especially the one by @INKS here. The information herein goes beyond Pages/Articles, however, so I decided to locate it within my blog and then link to it in the aforementioned discussion, and maybe also in the Amicus Aedes forum. Realistically, this is just a precursor to something that should be either an article or a series of articles. It is being presented in this abbreviated format, however, in the interest of time (i.e., getting the information out there now) as we lean into making the Pages/Articles feature public. A key issue is understanding the various features that the site offers. These include: Blog Club Discussion Download Event (i.e., Calendar) - I'm not going to discuss this feature much herein) Gallery Pages (hereafter referred to as Article) The features that are well understood are discussion, download, and gallery. These features are mutually supporting and distinct from each other. Conversely, the features that are not well understood (and woefully underutilized) are blog, club, and articles. As you will see below, there is a lot of overlap, but each serves a distinct purpose. Discussion The core feature of the site, and that for which the site was created, was discussion. As the name implies, discussion is about various members providing their viewpoints/responses to various topics, engaging in a discussion with each other. The methods for formatting discussion posts transfer over to the other features. Discussion also supports the other features via the ability to post comments, notably in the blogs, galleries, and downloads. When members submit new downloads or articles, discussions are created to announce those additions and provide visibility for other members. Since the other features came later, discussion has been used to emulate/bastardize those other features. For example, members often use discussions to present their blogs instead of using the actual blog function. Similarly, many articles are presented as discussions rather than via the actual article function. These emulations/bastardizations are functional and familiar, but they are sub-optimal, underutilizing the site's capabilities (for reasons that will be demonstrated later). That said, these emulations/bastardizations are effective (so we're not going to stop anyone from using them), though they are less effective than the actual features. One aspect of discussions that many members don't notice is the archiving process. In the process, the site software automatically archives a discussion topic after a period of time. Once this happens, members can neither edit posts nor submit additional replies to that topic, effectively locking them. Gallery The use of the gallery feature allows members to host images online so that those images can be used in the other site features, such as displaying an image of a painted miniature or a header image for a club/blog. Members have other options for hosting images online, but the B&C galleries are convenient and free. Since the hobby is so visually intense, the ability to display images is essential to effective discussion. Download If you look at the top of the page, you'll see the site's mission statement. A key element of that is the final sentence - the sharing of hobby-related content [to help others enjoy the hobby]. While images (see gallery above) are an obvious element of that, there are many non-image forms of content that members can share with each other to fulfill this portion of our mission statement. Over the years we have seen myriad types of files shared via the downloads, including roster templates, homegrown rules, decals, missions, etc. In many cases, these content types can be shared via discussion, but the ability to download files provides much better control and enables more efficient printing of these files. An announcement is created in the discussion forums any time a file is submitted to our downloads, and members are able to comment in that discussion or directly to the file page to provide feedback to the content creator/submitter. Blog A blog bears a very strong resemblance to a discussion forum, but where the structure and scope of the discussion forums are controlled by the B&C admins, each member has control over their own blog. The real value of a blog is that a member can have a central location for all of their various projects. Discussions might fall off the front page, so if a member decides to update a project, they may have to perform some level of searching to find an existing project discussion (and there are various ways of performing such a search). If a member has a blog, however, they simply have to open their blog to narrow their search down, making it much easier to find the project they're looking for (and for others to review all of a member's projects without laborious searching). One of the great things about the blog feature is that it provides members with a convenient and free way to present their own blog, saving them from having to host/download some other blog software and learn how to use that software. Club The club feature is easily the best of the new features (since the site update a few years ago). Clubs fulfill a variety of purposes, limited only by the community requirement that a club be relevant to the Warhammer 40,000 hobby and members' imaginations (with the caveat that we won't approve of clubs that effectively duplicate public discussion forums - for example, we don't need a club for fans of the Dark Angels since we already have a discussion forum for that purpose). Clubs may be created to focus on products (e.g. 40K Action Figure Afficianados for fans of the JoyToy and McFarlane WH40K action figures), allow for coordination within specific geographic areas (e.g., the Europe club for those WH40K issues that are specific to the members of our community that reside upon that continent), allow for coordination within WH40K game clubs or stores (e.g., Metal Head Armory in Phoenix, Arizona, USA), development of homegrown rules (e.g., The Chronicles of Saint Katherine's Aegis), etc. One particularly great capability that clubs provide is the ability for members to work on group projects without the need for B&C administrator support. In the past, we had the Special Projects forum in which members could create discussions to coordinate efforts in a special project (typically working towards the creation of some set of homegrown rules). Particularly complex projects often required the creation of dedicated sub-forums, allowing participants to have multiple discussions for better organization and partitioning of their project; and the creation of such sub-forums required administrator approval and a degree of work on the part of the approving administrator. With clubs, however, members can simply create a club dedicated toward their project. The really great part, though, is that the club owner/creator can include various features in the club, including one or more discussion forums, files (i.e., downloads), galleries, and events. This enables participants to upload project-specific files and images within the club, and to coordinate efforts on their own calendar. The club owner/creator can decide upon the features that will be available in the club, and these features can be updated later. The only hurdle with the clubs is that clubs must be approved by administrators, but with no other effort on their part, speeding things up considerably. In addition, club owners/creators can be given permissions similar to those of moderators within their clubs, allowing them to control content more easily without the need for administrator/moderator intervention (though they won't have disciplinary permissions). Overall, clubs provide members with a great deal of freedom, better supporting member-created content with much less need for moderators/administrators. Article The (soon-to-be) newest feature is the pages (article) feature, which resurrects the functionality that we used to have in the Librarium (way back in the day). The key distinction between articles and discussions is that articles are a way for an author (or authors) to present their content to others, much the way articles are published in magazines and journals, whereas a discussion is much more open and anyone can participate. If a member has conducted a lot of research on a subject and wants to present their conclusions to other members, an article is an excellent format. If a member wants to debate issues or if they have questions for which they desire answers/feedback, however, a discussion would be a better format. As with downloads, the submission of an article creates a discussion that serves as both an announcement (providing visibility to other members) as well as a medium for others to provide their feedback on the article (and which the article author may consider for possible updates to the article). Articles can have different origins. For example, a discussion topic may prompt a member to compose an article, whether some discussion of lore, the presentation of their homegrown Chapter of Space Marines, etc. Alternately, a member may complete a project that they presented in their blog, then they might collect the blog (or highlights thereof) into an article. Or a group may develop some project, presenting the finished product as an article. It is also very important to identify the relationship between downloads and articles. Each of these features enables members to present the same (or similar) information via different mediums. The articles [pages] function allows for online/digital presentation of content (that is formatted based on the user's device), whereas downloads allow for that same information to be presented in a format that can be printed (in a format defined by the author). Many of you may be familiar with a variety of online libraries such as those that are available at learning institutions; those online libraries allow members to view an article online and often to download that article (typically in .pdf format). Our software doesn't allow for online presentation of a .pdf, unfortunately, but the online format (via the articles feature) provides better accessibility that is tailored to the user's device. There is no automatic linkage between the two features, unfortunately, nor is there (and there will not be) any mandated requirement from the site for members to submit content in both formats. In my ideal world, however, members will take the time to develop content in both formats to better support the various needs of other community members. At this point, all we can do is provide incentives to those outcomes via achievements/badges (i.e., the system tracks your content submissions and awards badges at different thresholds). The most important thing to realize is that all of these features exist within an ecosystem. Each has a specific function and works best for different types of outcomes, though there are many commonalities. Yes, the discussion feature can be used to emulate blogs and articles, but blogs and articles each do their own thing better than discussions. Many of these features support or are supported by various other features.